The Mystery of Glasally
by hayleybailee
Summary: The Doctor and Rose are caught in a rouge time stream that takes them to late-medieval Ireland. They investigate the disappearances occurring in the village, suspecting alien intervention. Flirting and Fun will ensue. This story is a mix between the "Monster of the Week" plot line of New Who and "Historicals" from Old Who. Set between The Satan Pit and Love and Monsters.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I am a new writer to Doctor Who so If there are any problems, feel free to PM or review and I will hopefully fix them. I am new to fanfiction and I don't have a beta so there may also be problems with spelling/grammar. I did the best I could, but I may have missed something. Help me out if that's the case! The story is canon so there will be no obvious romance between Rose and the Doctor, but there will be general flirtation and some sexual tensions. Also I own nothing, everything belongs to BBC._

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**Chapter One:**

Medieval Ireland, 1477 BC, Somewhere in the Irish County of Donegal

The man was carefully leading his donkey through the thick forests by the light of a small lantern he held in his hand. The warm glow washed only a few feet in front of him with light. The path was difficult to see this late at night and he didn't want to damage his goods by sending his cart over a large root. He sighed loudly. He hated having to leave his wife alone when he went off to neighbouring villages. She would be taken care of by the rest of the town, it was a tight-knit community, but they hadn't had a child yet, and he longed to start a family. Leaving for weeks at a time made it more difficult to do that. He heard something snap in the forest to his left. He whipped his head around and peered out into the darkness, holding up his lantern to try and judge what made the noise.

"Hello?" He said, his voice wavering. He knew there were wolves and other nasty creatures that used the dark as their cover. They would lurk in the shadows, stalking their prey until they pounced unexpectedly. "Anyone out ther'?" He called again. There was no sound but his ass breathing loudly. He looked at his old girl in the face, but there was no trace of fear in her eyes. She had always been able to sense danger before, altering him with nervous brays and pounding her hooves into the dirt. She looked calm. Must have just been a hedgehog, he thought, relieved.

He shook himself of his fear and continued down the path, picking his way through the underbrush.

Another scurry of sound came again from his left. He stopped dead. "I'll ask ye again, whose out ther'?" He sounded panicked and hated himself for letting the fear leak into his voice. His lantern was blown out by a gust of wind, leaving him standing in the dark forest with naught but the scant moonlight leaking through the trees to see.

Suddenly, a curious ball of light appeared in front of him. He stared at it and it washed him with a sense of calm. Nothing could go wrong if this light was here; it was beautiful. The blue light weaved and looped and moved further away from him. "Don't ya go," he said, reaching out. The light jumped away a bit further from his touch. He put one foot in front of the other, stumbling towards the curious and enchanting ball of light.

It went out and a high pitched keening ripped through the woods. And then it was silent again.

Two Weeks Later

Rose Tyler was a perfectly normal girl. Sure she never had the best grades in school, mainly because she skived off classes so often, but she did alright. That is until she dropped out at 16 to peruse a doomed relationship with the type of bad boy your mother warns you to stay away from. She got attention from boys, starting at a young age, but after the rather nasty incident with Jimmy Stone, she managed to find Mickey, a respectable and affectionate boy who she might have even loved some day. However, after the shop had blown up and she met The Doctor, the situation Rose Tyler found herself in was distinctly abnormal. The man had whisked her away in a barmy blue box that led to adventure and sometimes danger, but mostly exciting places that she had never in her wildest dreams imagined.

This was her life that she was reflecting on as she stared at the blinking blue and green lights scattered over the TARDIS console. Traveling though space and time was, for brief periods between taking off and landing, peaceful. Calm washed over the control room whenever it floated seemingly aimlessly through space and Rose often lost herself in thoughts, reflecting on her life and luck. Today she was concentrated on the 'what ifs' of her life. What if she had stayed with Jimmy, in that horrible relationship? What if she had stayed in school, completed her A-levels and became a teacher or a doctor? What if she had stayed with Mickey, instead of running off with the Doctor to see the end of the Earth? Would she be happy? Would she be satisfied with her life? As often as she pondered on these questions, she thought just as often how sad and remiss she would be without the Doctor in her life, knowing how it could be. Something was missing when she was just a shop girl, living with her mum with no real goal in life. The Doctor came and gave her meaning and definitely some perspective. She, Rose Tyler, simple British chav girl, had saved the universe as the Bad Wolf. She stopped the Daleks and destroyed every last one. She saved Jack Harkness, Planet Earth and most importantly, her Doctor. She smiled to herself.

"What are you on about?" The Doctor's voice rang across the control room. Rose looked up, unaware she had made a noise. "You were giggling" The Doctor explained.

"Just thinkin'"

"'bout what?" He asked playfully, giving her one of his smiles.

"Just what my life would 'a been if I hadn't met you." Rose looked down, embarrassed. "Thinking about my mum and Mickey and school. Wonderin' if I would 'ave worked in the shop forever. Sometimes it would just be so much easier if there was somethin' to tell me that I made the right choice." She shook her head, "that sounded better when I was tryin' to figure it out up here." Rose tapped her head.

"Well I think that you need a good dose of fun," the Doctor proclaimed, ignoring the deeper implications of Roses' train of thought. "We haven't been to a new planet in hours! Think of what we could be missing. Maybe a ball, or a presidential assassination. Maybe we can see a tsunami of Lava on that fire planet I told you about. What do you think? I know a little planet off of this little solar system with tiny creatures no bigger than my thumb. We could be Gulliver! Or there is another planet about 800 light-years that way," he pointed in a random direction, "that is made entirely of diamond. There is even a sapphire waterfall and a spa just for you!"

Rose smiled again. "Sure, whatever you think. You're the boss."

"Alright! Let's go meet the Lilliputians. Allons-y" He launched into action, flipping switches and pressing buttons with his hands and feet. The Doctor, this Doctor at least, was always energetic. It was one thing that she loved about travelling with him. He found the good in every situation and remained enthusiastic. Sure, he had his moods, like when they had found the test patients on New Earth, but that was part of him being her new new doctor. The good came with the bad.

When he had changed from her old, leather clad and war-scarred Doctor, to the new Doctor she knew now, it had shocked her. She sometimes missed the older and more mature man she had grown to admire. The change took some getting used to, but he had eventually won her over with his charming smile and pinstriped suit. He had a keenness for discovery and human innovation that the old Doctor didn't quite match. The scars of war seemed to have faded with his regenerations. They were there, under the surface, but the New Doctor had begun to forgive himself with the change.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the TARDIS shaking. It shuttered and shook, throwing the Doctor around the console while he struggled to press buttons. Rose grabbed on to one of the rails to steady herself and prevent her from falling on her bum.

"Hold on!" The Doctor shouted unnecessarily. The TARDIS shook again.

"Are you sure it's meant to be doin' that?" Rose shouted over the clatter.

"Not entirely!"

The ship took another violent turn, throwing Rose off the railing and onto the floor. Something didn't seem right. The TARDIS landing usually involved a bumpy descent, but this was far from normal. "Doctor!" Rose shouted over the beeping.

The TARDIS landed with a thud before everything went quiet.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, picking herself up off the floor and brushing the dirt off her jeans.

"Yep." There was a grunt from across the control room, and the sound of clattering as the Doctor struggled to extradite himself from a large collection of wires and rubbish. "It's alright, just hit a rough patch." He popped up, exhaled a large breath and began to examine the TARDIS, flicking buttons and pulling levers. "Yep, nothing wrong, just a bit of disturbance in the time wormhole. That was fun," he smiled at Rose. She gave him a shaken smile in return.

He marched to the front door and Rose quickly followed. The Doctor thrust the door open and proudly held his hand out to present the tiny world to Rose.

"This is..." he petered off. "Not the planet we were looking for." His face dropped.

The TARDIS landed in a meadow surrounded by vast forests and a river trickling along the edge of the clearing. The field they were standing in consisted of high grass, sprinkled with wildflowers and weeds. To the west there were high craggy mountains covered with, what looked like, more forests. It was lush and green and picturesque, the epitome of a perfect spring morning. The air was damp with the smell of morning dew and the earthy decomposition that was characteristic of an old-growth forest. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows from the trees and washing the landscape in a soft, glowing morning light. Rose took a deep breath.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"It's not an alien planet," the Doctor said glumly, his hands firmly pushed in his pockets and a frown on his face. He kicked a purple wildflower absentmindedly.

"It's not? Well then where are we?" She didn't think they could be on Earth, she had never seen anywhere so beautiful or serene before.

"We're in Ireland, April 25th, 1477 at 7:30 in the morning."

"Wow," Rose exclaimed. "It's wonderful."

"I wonder why the TARDIS brought us here," the Doctor pondered aloud.

"Maybe there is somethin' happenin' here. Like when we were in Utah, and the Dalek brough' us there to help him. Or when we were tryin' to go to New York to see Elvis and we wound up in London and had to deal with that lady on TV, takin' everyone's faces."

"Alright! I think we need to go investigate." The Doctor's smile returned and a mischievous look overtook his eyes. "Rose Tyler," he said, enunciating every syllable. "If you will?" He held out his hand.

She took it firmly and they began to hike through the thick grass in a direction determined by the Doctor, a grin plastered on both their faces. Rose decided to let him lead, as she was not a nature person and prone to get lost in the park at home, let alone in the wilderness of Ireland.

"What do you think it'll be this time?" She asked through a smile.

"As long as it's not Slitheen, I don't quite fancy I care."

Rose laughed. "How about Daleks?"

"I don't reckon we will ever see them again, after you had your way with them."

"Maybe it will be something cute, like those little aliens we were supposed to see. Or nothin' sinister at all and we will just get a vacation." Rose unconsciously let the hope leak into her voice.

"What, don't you like chasing after Cybermen and saving the world?"

"I love everythin' that we do together, but sometimes I get tired. Don't you? I mean we just took on the Devil and thumbed our nose in his face! And I've left behind so many people. I mean mum, obviously. But also Mickey and my other dimension father. I suppose that at least I have you, right?"

"Right," he said, emphasizing his point by squeezing her hand. "And maybe we will only have to deal with some pink fluffy plumfkins"

"Maybe," she conceded, though she didn't quite believe it.

They tread their way thought the meadow until they reached the forest. The morning light was strong enough to penetrate the dense canopy of the ash, oak and hawthorn trees, but there was no distinct path to speak of. The trees themselves looked very old. They appeared weathered and ancient but strong with deep roots that wound and twisted underfoot. There was no noise to break the deafening silence save the occasional snapping of a twig or the rustling of leaves as they made their way through the woodland.

"You do know where you're goin', yeah?" Rose asked, nervously glancing at her surroundings. There was some light breaking through the leaves, but the low sun threw just as many shadows onto the forest floor. The trees were so dense, it was difficult to see where they were going, and nearly as tricky to figure out which direction they came.

"Oh yeah, over that way there's a road that leads to a village. Somewhere," he pointed to an ambiguous direction. "But isn't it just nice walking?" he gestured to the forest.

"You aren't going to be start lecturing on the journey and the destination, are ya?" Rose asked, producing a chuckle from the Doctor's lips.

They slowly made their way towards to road, picking their way among the roots protruding from the forest floor and the dense undergrowth. Rose's trainers were entirely shot by the time they got to the road and her jeans were covered in mud. The Doctor, impeccable as always, looked as though the just came out of a menswear advert. It was almost unfair, how good he looked, Rose noted.

The road was little more than a pathway. It was a well trodden line through the forest that had once been an animal path, now taken over by hunters and travellers Rose didn't think that she could take much more of walking, let alone tripping over the uneven ground.

The Doctor let out a great sigh, "Well, nothing nicer than a walk in the park in the morning."

Rose just looked at him dubiously and made a noncommittal noise. "What time is it, do ya reckon?" She peered at the sun peeking over the trees, a hand over her eyes to shield the brightness.

"I don't reckon anything when it comes to time," the Doctor said playfully. He waggled his eyebrows and grinned. "It's 11:03, perfect time for a bit of food. Maybe some chips," He added ironically.

"I don't think they'll have chips in 1477, though it is Ireland so maybe some potatoes." Her stomach gurgled at the thought.

"The potato is a new world produce, it won't be introduced here for another two hundred or so years."

"Fantastic," Rose sighed. "What do they 'ave then, parsnips?" She groaned internally; she hated parsnips.

"Very likely. The village should be this way," The Doctor started marching down the road towards where the mountains were visible over the treetops.

"How do you know all this?" Rose asked, running to catch up with him. "I mean you can't be an expert in all of space and time, as well as the geography of the Irish wilderness."

"You'd be very surprised what I am an expert in." There was a distinctly suggestive tone to his voice. Rose's heart skipped a beat and a knot formed in her throat. "I spent some time here, traipsing around with Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, in my youth, though you probably know him of Brian Boru."

"Never heard of him, but I didn't pay much attention to history class."

"He was a king of Munster in the 1000s but I knew him when he was teenager. We didn't do anything too big, we spent a lot of time hunting stags and whatnot. His idea, not mine. Learned the lay of the land rather well. Good educational experience."

"You never cease to amaze, Doctor."

"Why thank you Rose Tyler."

"So how far off are we then?" Rose didn't think the road was coming to a head any time soon, and her feet were getting rather sore.

"Right beyond that turn," he pointed up a head where the path made a distinct curve to the left, swerving around a particularly large boulder that read 'Glasally'.

"I've never heard of Glasally before," Rose commented.

"It's a smaller village, it'll get either wiped out by sickness and plague or amalgamated into a larger city in the future. Right now it's a tiny hamlet. The name means green willow; rather apt for a city by a forest, don't you think?" The Doctor had his 'humans are so clever' smile on.

Rose just made another noncommittal noise, choosing to concentrate on keeping her feet flat on the ground and prevent her stomach from rumbling.

They rounded the bend and found themselves at the top of a hill where the forest came to an abrupt stop. The path widened and led down to a small village. It had several houses along the main road and a few others scattered among large fields. There were several other buildings which did not look like houses, including one with a cross marking the door, which Rose took to mean it was a small church. Other details were too small to make out from their position. However, the landscape itself was beautiful. There was a river lazily winding along the edge of the forest, assumedly the same one as where the TARDIS had landed. The village rested in a large clearing, surrounded by the dense woodland. The mountains, which had been lost in the overgrowth of the forest, were clear in the background of the scene. They were not as tall as Rose had previously assumed, but big nonetheless and much closer.

Rose grasped the Doctor's hand and they slowly descended into the hamlet.

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_I am just setting the scene here, there will be 'mentions' of the monster/alien they will be dealing with next chapter, and the idea will be explored more in Chapter Three. Please Review and let me know how I am doing! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I have discovered I am terrible at writing the Irish accent, so bear with it and I will attempt to get better! The names I have used are actually old irish-gaelic names so they will be exceedingly difficult to pronounce, but I thought it added some authenticity. Here we will get the first taste of our monsters for the story!_

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**Chapter Two:**

The road down was a bit bumpy, and Rose lost her footing more than once. She held tighter onto the Doctor's arm in order to keep her balance.

"Not very good at walking, huh? It's just one foot in front of the other," the Doctor asked, jokingly.

Rose glared. "Just because you're an alien with annoyingly good balance, don't mean the rest of us are graced with coordination. It's these bloody trainers, they are too caked in mud, I have no traction."

"Alright, we will find you some new shoes down at the village. And new clothes too. You stick out to much in a jumper and trousers. Women don't wear trousers in the 1470s you know," his tone was light and there was a twinkle in his eye.

"I know," Rose huffed. "It's not like I never cracked open a history book when I revised for my tests. What about you? You know that men didn't go around in ties and suits. Your buttons are plastic, when did they invent plastic mister smarty-pants?" She gave him a raised eyebrow right before stumbling over a rock. The embarrassing trip did nothing to enhance her intended serious tone. The Doctor snorted.

"No need to get shirty, I just thought you like the different fashion we see when we're travelling. Plus I think you'd look good in a petticoat."

Rose blushed. "Aren't you supposed to wear the petticoat under the dress?"

"Yes, but I doubt you'll find anyone rich enough to have a petticoat down here," the Doctor flushed, quickly avoiding the direction the conversation was heading. "Most of those women will be wearing simple linen dresses. Not that you won't look good in those either," he added hastily.

"Thanks, I think?"

"You're welcome, I think."

They had reached the bottom of the hill, and had made their way into the main part of the village. The houses were simple, the most elaborate were made out of stone, and the simplest were made from wood. The roofs were thatched and the walls had ivy and flowers growing up the sides, weaving through the stone- or wood-work. The windows were small and simple mainly because there was no glass panes inserted into them. They had wooden shutters blocking the inside from the worst of the elements in the windows' place. There were pig sties next to a couple of the houses, with pink plump pigs happily flopping in their mud. The most elaborate house in the village was twice the size of the others. The stonework was elaborate and rocks were manipulated into arches and patters around the windows and door. There was even a small garden out front with perfect flowers lined up like soldiers at attention.

Rose stood in the middle of the road and took in her surroundings. She had gone with her mum one summer to visit the tourist towns in northern England. They were old and historical and she remembered being very bored by the tour her mother insisted on taking. Jackie thought it would have been nice to get out of London, but even she was bored by the experience, said next time they'd go shopping. But the town they visited was beautiful. It was almost identical to the one she stood in now, except without the five hundred years of wear and tear. She felt, for the thousandth time, awe and wonder for her situation and ability to travel through time.

"You seem to be drawing a crowd," the Doctor stage-whispered to her. Rose snapped out of her daze and finally saw that she was, indeed, attracting a few eyes. There were several women who were staring at her, their expressions appalled. Men were staring at her for a whole different reason. An older man approached cautiously, keeping his eyes locked with hers as if to gauge her reaction.

"'Lo" the man said in a low, gravelly tone. His eyes were brown, with flecks of green, full of youthful light. They stood out in shocking contrast on his lined and weathered face. He had tuffs of grey-white hair sticking out at odd directions, though Rose couldn't tell if he was balding due to the cap placed strategically on his head. She placed his age late 60s to early 70s. "Can I ask ye' what yer doin' in our village?" His accent was strong and the words were muddled as they were forced past his lips.

"Hello," the Doctor said brightly, thrusting out a hand to greet the elderly man. "We are travellers from London. Came here on the recommendation of my aunt. Well I say aunt, she was really my mum's sister's second cousin once removed. Well I say cousin, really she was a distance relation, although I'm not sure if it was by blood or marriage or if she was actually related, could have been my eight cousin's second brother's dog for all I know. Either way, she said it was a lovely town with beautiful forests and rivers, insisted that we went to see it. I'm the Doctor."

The man shook the Doctor's hand and gave him a gruff smile. "Aye? We could use a doctor in this town, even if ye are English. An' who be the wee lass?"

"This is Rose Tyler, she's in my care. Parents killed in a horrible boating accident. Don't mind the clothing, our possessions were stolen and the only thing we had left was my spare outfit, hence the trousers. Here are our travel papers," he said, pulling out the psychic paper.

The man nodded his head, seemingly accepting the Doctor's story. "Aye, you 'ave to watch the roads. Highway men 'a plenty in the forest. Good for nothin' thieves is what they are." He eyed the forest contemptibly. "We 'ave a few clothing donations in the church. Nothing fine but it'll be more proper tha' what yer wearing now."

"Thank you, Mister..." Rose trailed off.

"Aodhán ó Raghallaigh. I'm the parish priest 'round these parts. Now come on with me an' we'll get you into proper dress." Aodhán led them towards the second largest building in the village.

"I thought you said the TARDIS translates languages," Rose whispered to the Doctor.

"It does, but his name isn't a language, it's his name."

"I can't pronounce old Irish!" Rose said quickly

"Just make it up as you go along. Or stick with sir. Or laddie. Probably shouldn't call him lass though."

"You think everything is funny don't ya?"

"Most everything, yeah," the Doctor smiled. Rose rolled her eyes.

The building they were heading to was built entirely from stone, all the way up to the tall spire that marked the church. Though it was the only building in the community to have windows, they were so ornate they made up for the rest of the village. The glass was stained in gorgeous tones of yellow, red and blue, with designs like flowers and crosses crafted into the windows. The doors were made from heavy oak, though the colour had been stained a dark walnut colour with age. They were decorated with cast iron hinges and door handles and squeaked as Aodhán opened the doors.

Inside was just a breathtaking as the outside. The pews were made of the same wood as the door, lined up in perfect rows facing an ornate table and podium. The early afternoon light streamed in through the stained glass, throwing colours over the slate floor. There was a small painting of the Virgin Mary to the right of the podium, and an elaborate carving of Jesus on the cross directly behind it. A relatively small pipe organ was to the left of the podium, complete with a small stool covered in rich cloth. It appeared to Rose that the wealth of the community was poured into this church.

"I've never seen a church like this before," Rose breathed to the Doctor.

"It's a Catholic church, much more pomp and circumstance surrounding the ceremony than what your used to in England, though the Church of England won't be created for another hundred years," the Doctor whispered back.

Aodhán walked slowly up the aisle and ducked into a small door off to the right of the pews. He brought out a chest and set it down on the pew closest to the front.

"This'll do you just fine," Aodhán said, pulling a simple dress from the chest. "An' here's a cover, fer your head, an' a pair o' shoes."

Rose took the items gingerly, not quite knowing what to do.

"Well we'll just go and wait outside?" The Doctor looked to Aodhán who nodded and started back towards the door. "I'll make sure no one comes in," the Doctor assured Rose.

She nodded. When she heard the door shut with a resolute thud, she began undressing herself. In a way, she was relieved to get out of her manky jeans, crusted with mud. She peeled off her jumper which was damp with sweat from their long hike. The cool spring air hit her skin, sending goose pimples racing up her arms. She looked at the dress, which she had placed on a pew and debated taking off her bra.

"Piss it with historical accuracy," she muttered to herself as she pulled the dress on over her underclothes. She carefully pulled her hair back and tucked it under the covering that Aodhán had given her. She toed off her trainers and socks and slipped on the simple shoes.

The kirtle style dress had a dark green smock that cinched right below her bust. The under shirt was white with sleeves reaching down to her wrists, with a bit of detailing on the cuff. The bodice was tightly lashed, making it difficult for her to breathe so she loosened it a bit, revealing some of the undershirt. She hoped it wouldn't be too much, as she really wanted to avoid a repeat of the stares. The dress flowed down her ankles, a length respectable for the time she was in, though Rose thought it was mostly cumbersome. The headdress reminded her of what she saw nuns wearing in old movies; the long white cloth wrapped around the back of her head and hung down to her shoulder blades. The shoes were simple black slippers and comfortable enough, but Rose wasn't sure if they would hold up to running if the situation called. And with the Doctor, the situation almost always called.

Rose sighed and smoothed the dress out around her stomach and hips before walking to the door and stepping back out into the village.

"...and me wife died givin' birth not too long afte' our first babe was weened. Little laddie died with her, God rest his wee heart. An' I never remarried, but my son has a wife and brood o' his..." Aodhán stopped when he saw that Rose had rejoined them. "Yer lookin' much improved, Miss Tyler," he said with a grin.

"Thank you for everything."

"So shall I show ye two 'round the rest o' the village?"

"That would be fantastic," the Doctor exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.

"Alrigh'," Aodhán pushed himself off the door and walked down the road, towards some of the larger buildings.

"This here is my house," He said, pointing to small hut besides the church. "Don't need much an' I go to supper with my son most days. That there is the Mac Gearailt house, and next to them is the ó Coileáin home," Aodhán pointed to two similar houses, both made from stone, along the main path. "Fionnbharr ó Coileáin is one o' the best hunters in the village, and we are lucky enough' that he shares with the rest o' us in 'ard times."

Rose nodded, taking in the scenery, rather than the community names lesson. The Doctor on the other hand was fascinated by the mundane, bobbing his head enthusiastically at Aodhán's every word.

"An' here is the widow's home," he gestured to a shabby, run down house that looked large, but plain. "The women whose husbands died from this or that an' have no one to take care o' them end up here carin' for each other with help from the church."

"Are there many widows in a town this small?" Rose asked, her interest suddenly piqued. The Doctor gave her a loaded glance that told her he was thinking the same thing.

"Well we 'ave a few in the last few years, lost in the woods or killed out huntin'."

Rose thought Aodhán sounded evasive. "How do people get lost in the woods so easily? Don't they know the area? Especially the hunters."

Aodhán looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Well, if you believe the stories, they are deliberately taken into the woods."

"By what?" The Doctor could hardly contain his curiosity.

"In the past few years, there have been balls o' light appearin' in the forest a' night. They lead the men astray and most ar' n'ver seen again. It's the work o' those fae type. The lights are the lanterns o' the hinkypunks and goblins, leadin' good men off to die o' starvation in the woods for fun. But those are only stories," he added hastily.

The Doctor nodded. "There are no such thing as fairies," he agreed finally.

"An' that's what I tell the good church going folk, but superstition 'as taken a firm hold in their hearts," Aodhán nodded sadly.

He began the tour again, as if no conversation had taken place. As they walked up the road, Rose couldn't help but look towards the trees, attempting to discern and light or shapes moving in the woods. Aodhán gained her attention again when they stopped in front of the big house.

"An' this here is the ó Dubhuir family home. Richest ones in the area. Cian ó Dubhuir is the best blacksmith within three days ride, an' so all the people come to him for their problems. He can make anything from a sword to a 'orse shoe. Fixed up me church doors just last winter when they broke. Got four daughters and two sons, poor lad. But he does alright, lemme tell ya. Got an offer made to him for 'is oldest's hand in marriage just a fortnight ago. Rich man, from one o' the bigger towns. She's the most beautiful girl you ever did see, I promise ya that."

As if on cue, the blacksmith walked out from his house, ducking under the door frame. And he had to duck, as he was a large, broad shouldered man, more than a foot and a half taller than Rose. His hair was a black, furry mane speckled with flecks of grey, which overtook his face in a short, but thick, beard. His green eyes shone out of his hooded brow which was topped off with thick black eyebrows. His hands alone were the size of dustbins and his legs as thick as trees. He was the biggest man Rose had ever seen. She was taken aback by his size.

"Afternoon' Aodhán. An' who these folk be?" He asked, gesturing to Rose and the Doctor.

"These be travellers from London. I am showin' them the village."

He nodded amiably. "Aye, we could use some travellers buyin' our wares. Don't hesitate to come by the shop, I can make most things ye ask fer. Not too bad as a Greensmith or a Silversmith meself." He nodded to Rose and the Doctor before turning his attention back to Aodhán. "Just tell 'em to be weary o' the will-o-the-wisps, now, ya hear? Don't want no more folk to go missin' in them woods." He stalked off along the road, down towards his shop, waving his goodbye.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I know I am updating rather quickly, and I will continue to do so for the next few days. I have the story entirely planned out and it should last about 15 chapters, though I may expand upon that once I get deeper into the plot. Fear not, I know how this is going to end and I will end it. promise! I'd appreciate some reviews to keep me powering through :)_

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**Chapter Three:**

"These will-o-the-wisps south rather dangerous," the Doctor said casually as the trio walked down the main path.

Aodhán glared ahead, "Aye, if ye believe in such nonsense. 'Ow long are ye and Miss Tyler goin' to be stayin' here, by chance?" Rose noted how quickly he changed the subject.

"I don't imagine more than a few days," Rose commented.

"Alright, we can set ye up in one o' the houses along her. Don't let anybody tell ye that the Irish aren't hospitable. I think that Cathal Mac Gearailt has a few extra rooms. He an' his wife never had no sprogs o' their own to take care of. We past his 'ouse up there," he gestured behind them. Rose vaguely remembered him mentioning a Mac Gearailt living in one of the stone houses near the church. Aodhán continued, "Aye he an' his wife are the older sort, but good godly folk and they should take care of ye right."

"Thank you," Rose said genuinely. "We really appreciate it everythin' you're doing for us."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "Now about these disappearances, I'd love to investigate into them, If you don't mind. I'm a sorry of hobby police-man in London in my spare time," he winked to Rose behind the elderly man's back.

"Wha's a policeman?" The word formed oddly in Aodhán's mouth, as if it left a bad taste.

"Ah, new profession in London, keep the law and all that," the Doctor rushed to say. Aodhán eyed him suspiciously, but seemed to accept the Doctor's story.

"Well ye can talk with Miss Pádraigín Reid. She'll be at the widow's home now, she lost her 'usband just last week. Might be able to tell ya somethin'." The old man had taken them in a loop exploring the village, and had brought them back to the church. "Cathal Mac Gearailt's 'ouse is that one o're there." He pointed across the way to the stone house. "An' you'll find Miss Reid down in the house there. I'll see ye again tomorrow mornin' when ye come to church."

Rose and the Doctor gave each other a significant glance. "Yes, see you then," the Doctor said in a strangled voice. The old man nodded to them and walked back into the church, closing the door behind him with a thump.

"I met the Devil just yesterday and found out it was a great dirty alien. Wonder if they'd believe that if I stood up and told them that I had met the devil tomorrow."

"I fancy you'd be thrown on a pyre for that. Go up like Guy Fawkes," Rose joked.

"Yes, but we still have to go," the Doctor sighed. Rose knew he didn't believe in religion. She had grown up going to the church down the road every Sunday. Jackie didn't really believe either, but thought it was best to go 'just in case'.

"They just need to believe that life is worth more than all this," Rose said, gesturing to their surroundings. "They work all day, six days a week, they just have to have something to look forward to. Make the hard work worth something."

The Doctor nodded, "I suppose your lives are shorted than mine. Death must seem awfully scary when you can't regenerate."

"Yeah," Rose said. She recalled the conversation that she had with the Doctor a few months back. _Humans decay_, he had said. _They wither and die._ Rose could understand why people turned to a higher power. Who wanted to believe that such a short life had no meaning. It was much better to believe that there was something else waiting for good people after death. "Maybe you'll get lost in the woods followin' the will-o-the-wisps and you won't have to go," Rose teased brightly, trying to steer the conversation away from the depressing fact of death.

The Doctor sighed wistfully. "So where should we go first? Get settled in for the night, or go question Miss Reid about the big bad balls of light?" He waggled his eyebrows, making Rose snort.

"You, settle down for a night? I'll believe it when I see it," she said as she began walking towards the widow's home. The doctor grinned and caught up with her.

"Knew you'd come around to my side." He allowed her to slip her hand into the crook of his elbow.

The widow's home was run down, to say the least. The shutters were broken and the roof needed to be re-thatched. There was no garden to speak of, but a few weeds grew around the base of the house. The Doctor knocked on the oak door gently and listened to the sound echo off the inside walls.

"Bit ominous, don't you think?" He whispered playfully, commenting on the reverberations. Rose just gave him a look.

The door opened slowly and a squat woman no older than thirty-five poked her head out the door. She looked awfully young to be widowed, Rose thought.

"Hello!" The Doctor said brightly.

The woman looked at him cautiously. "Hello," she said slowly. "Can I help ye'?"

"We are looking for Miss Pádraigín Reid," the Doctor explained, his tongue looping around her name effortlessly. Rose looked at him incredulously, impressed at his ability to pronounce the Gaelic name. "We're from London, investigating the disappearances here."

"Aye? Didn't think ye English-type cared for the plight on a poor Irish community," she looked at him dubiously.

"Aodhán sent us," Rose added helpfully, muddling the priest's name.

"Alright," the woman said, still suspicious, but she opened the door to invite Rose and the Doctor in.

The house looked much nicer on the inside. It was washed in a warm, cozy light from the fire in the hearth and there were woven rugs that covered the dirt floor. There were a few large beds in the back of the house with, what looked like, straw mattresses and kitted blankets, though no pillows to speak of. A few simple pieces of wooden furniture made up the dining area, which was opposite from a simple kitchen. There were two women sitting in front of the fire in stiff chairs, kitting and weaving.

"Well this is lovely," the Doctor complimented.

"This is Pádraigín Reid," the woman said, gesturing to a woman who was sitting in the dining area, writing a letter with a goose-feather quill.

"Thank you...?" Rose petered off indicating she was looking for the woman's name.

"Saoirse, Saoirse Mac Cionaoith," she smiled shyly and went to sit with the other women, taking a seat in an old rickety glastonbury chair.

The Doctor and Rose approached Pádraigín Reid, who had perked her head up at the mention of her name. Rose thought she could have been pretty, with the addition of modern conveniences like makeup. As it was, she looked rather plain, her brown eyes were tired and red, swollen around the outside, like she had been crying. Her hair was a mousey brown colour and mostly hidden under a black head scarf, like the one Rose was wearing. Her dress too was similar to Roses', but also black. She had clearly been mourning her late husband.

The Doctor took a seat opposite to the woman, and looked at her intently. Rose sat down next to him.

"We heard about your husband, we are very sorry," the Doctor began quietly. "We are here to find out what happened to him. Is there anything you can tell us?"

The woman sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Sean was a travellin' vendor, took wares and trinkets to neighbourin' shires, sold them an' then he'd come back. He'd always come back."

"When did he leave this time Pad...Perd...Miss Reid?" Rose gave up on pronouncing her first name.

"Two weeks ago, said he was just goin' to the village over yonder, no more than a weeklong trip. Said he'd be back soon, an' he took his donkey and cart and left. I sent word to the village, an' they said he ne're came." She looked down at the letter she was writing. "I'm tellin' his parents that their son is dead."

Rose peeked at the letter, struggling to make out the words. They were spelled phonetically and nearly impossible to read. "I didn't think most people could write," Rose commented.

"My da' was a school teacher for some richer families. Taught me some. I teach some o' the kids here. Adults don't take to it kindly, think it just looks like scribbles. Only have two or three books in the whole town, including the bible in the church." She said, seemingly relieved that the topic shifted away from her late husband.

"What route did your husband take Miss Reid?" The Doctor pressed, annoyed by the change in conversation.

"Just up the hill an' around the boulder. Two days walk that way," her voice was hardly higher than a whisper, and Rose could hear a whimper in her voice.

"Thank you, we will let you get back to your letter." The Doctor got up to leave but Rose yanked him back down.

"We are very sorry for your loss," Rose began, "but I was wonderin' if you know anythin' about the superstitions around these parts." The Doctor nodded, understanding her intentions.

"You mean the will-o-the-wisps," the widow confirmed glumly.

"Yeah, just wonderin' if you can tell us about them," Rose repeated.

"Me mam used to tell me 'bout them when I was growin' up. I'm not from around here, I came here to marry Sean," she explained. "My shire is about a week's horseride from here, so the tales are a bit different. Mam told me an' my brothers that there were these creatures called fae. Some were beautiful little creatures with wings an' lovely voices an' some were funny wee men who hoarded gold. But most were scary monsters." Pádraigín gulped. "She used to warn us not t' go into the woods by our house. We used t' play there without her knowin'. She said, when it got dark, there were these things calle' hinkypunks. They were one legged little demons, with warts an' bits o' their skin missin'. They hopped 'round with a lantern full o' light. Once anyone saw the light, they had to follow. The hinkypunk would lead get 'em turned 'round an' when they were lost enough, the hinkypunk would eat their hearts and eyeballs." She shuddered.

"It's okay," Rose reassured the frail woman, putting a hand over her clenched fist. "How do people know about them, if they can't get away?"

"Well, sometimes they let people go, or they can only take one person with them, so we get stories from the survivors. Most often it's the women that get let go, we got weaker 'earts, ye see," the woman shuddered again visibly, but gave a wry smile with her last comment.

"And what do the will-o-the-wisps have to do with the demons?" Rose asked kindly, hoping her voice would help calm Pádraigín.

"The will-o-the-wisps were the lights in the lanterns, meant to get ye lost. Ye don't think that Sean got eaten by a hinkypunk? Got his 'eart all torn out?" Her lower lip quivered.

"No, no," Rose said amiably, patting the woman's hand.

"Just a folktale, that's all," said the Doctor, but his eyes looked tight. "We should get going," he looked pointedly at Rose who nodded.

"If you need anything, I don't mind," Rose said. Pádraigín nodded and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Thank ye," she said, before resuming her letter writing.

They left the house, shutting the door behind them. "Well that was no good," Rose said in a huff. "Hinkelypuffs and fairies. Ain't no such thing."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

"What, you're tellin' me that there are tiny girls with butterfly wings and men in buckled shoes who have little gold pots all livin' in the forest?" Rose snorted.

"After all you seen, do you doubt it?" He raised an eyebrow at Rose, whose dubious expression went quickly blank. "Remember when you met Sarah-Jane and she told you that she met the Loch Ness Monster? Well we did, but it wasn't a real monster, it was a Skarasen, a cyborg weapon meant to take over the world."

It was Rose's turn to raise an eyebrow. "So you're tellin' me that these will-o-the-wisps are gonna be an alien weapon?"

"No, I'm just saying that everything is not always as it seems."

Rose conceded to this, recalling the experiences of her travels with the Doctor. "Well what now?" She gazed up at the sky, looking at the setting sun. It was disappearing behind the mountains, casting a shadow over the village and plunging it into darkness earlier than expected for a spring night.

"We should hit the hay, so to speak." When he got no reaction from Rose, he added, "because the mattresses are made out of hay. Oh come on, it's funny!"

Rose gave him a smile and poked her tongue into her cheek, like she did when the Doctor did something worth teasing.

"Don't give me that look," he insisted. "It was a funny joke."

"Alright, if you say so," Rose smiled again.

"Oh forget it."

She laughed and took his arm as they walked towards their host's house.

"So do ya think we should go and check out the woods tonight?" She asked him.

"Of course we should, we wouldn't be Rose Tyler and the Doctor if we didn't! We will sneak out at nighttime. WOuldn't want the town to think I was doing anything improper by taking a lady out to the woods at dusk." His tone was suggestive, but his kept his face impressively straight.

Rose blushed again, "well what we do ain't these people's business anyhow."

"It is if we want their help solving this mystery."

"Alright, you're right. I hate it when that happens."

"You think you'd be used to it by now," the Doctor said in a smug, but jovial, tone. Rose gave him a playful hip bump.

They reached the front door of the Mac Gearailth house hold and Rose knocked on the door gently. A man, who Rose assumed was Cathal, opened to door.

"Come in, come in," he said genially. His voice was youthful and despite his outwards appearance, he moved quickly for an older man. His frame was slight, but his rolled up sleeves revealed wiry muscles. "Aodhán told me ye'd be coming. The wife has made up two beds in our spare rooms, if ye please come in an' don't be shy. Have a seat."

He hurried them into the house and shut the door. Unlike the widow's house, this one was extremely well kept and looked much more lavish. The floors were still made of pounded dirt, but the furnishing was posh and well dusted. There was a nice, heirloom table with polished chairs around the perimeter. A lace runner and a small vase of wildflowers decorated the table. The fireplace was ornate, complete with a small mantle on which some figurines and trinkets rested. A well used sword hung over the mantle. There was a woven rug, similar to the ones in the widow's house and a rocking chair in front of the hearth. The loft-style second story was connected by a rough wooden staircase. There were two doorways, covered with cloth, to the back of the house, where Rose assumed the two extra bedrooms were.

"It's a lovely home," Rose commented.

"Me wife works 'ard at it, when I'm off in the woods lookin' for supper," he smiled, revealing a smile with several missing teeth.

"'ave our guests arrived?" Came a shrill voice from the back rooms. A short, plump woman in an apron came barreling out of the bedroom, her ruddy face in a scowl. "Cathal Mac Gearailth, how could you not tell me that we had company? Look at me, still in me apron and me hair's a mess."

"Ye look beautiful to me," he said sweetly. Her demeanor softened and she turned her attention towards Rose and the Doctor.

"How ye two be doin' this evening?" She said pleasantly. Her ruddy complexion remained but the scowl had turned into a pleasant smile. Her hair, in tightly woven white ringlets, sprung loose from her bonnet in all directions, giving her a rather frazzled appearance. Rose thought that she looked exactly like Father Christmas' wife from an old story book that Jackie had bought her for Christmas one year. "Are ye hungry?" The woman interrupted Rose's train of thought. "I 'ave a venison stew o're the fire, made it especially fer you."

It wasn't until Mrs. Mac Gearailt mentioned food that Rose remembered she was starving. She hadn't eaten since before they landed in the TARDIS and the smell of the earthy stew wafting from the cast iron pot over the fire made her mouth water. Her stomach grumbled loudly.

"I'll take that as a yes," Mrs. Mac Gearailt laughed. "Ye may call me Áine, if ye wishes." She walked over to the fire and stirred the pot with a large spoon that was resting on the mantel.

"I don't think I can pronounce that," Rose whispered and the Doctor let a small peal of laughter escape his lips.

"Come sit down o're here and get ready fer a feast. I caught that deer meself just yesterday," Mr. Mac Gearailt said, patting the table proudly.

Rose and the Doctor sat down, and waited for Áine to bring the food.

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_The hinkypunk story is actually true to Irish mythology and they are also called "Hobby Lanterns" and "Jack-o-Lanterns", and no I didn't take it from Harry Potter. though I did emphasize their cannibalistic nature. I've done a lot of research into Irish folklore, as well as period conditions regarding lifestyle so everything is, for the most part, historically accurate. Thanks for reading thus far, and don't forget to review! ~ Hayley :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Told you there would be a quick update! I'd really appreciate a review or two (make me think this is worth while and not terrible), so if you have time please comment! Also I still don't have a beta so I am doing by best to (a) be critical and keep the story interesting, and (b) have perfect spelling and grammar. If there are any problems with either of this, PM or review and I will try to fix them. Now on with the story..._

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**Chapter Four:**

Áine brought over the pot of steaming stew and set it directly on the table, followed quickly by some primitive bowls and spoons. Rose could feel the saliva gather in her mouth as the elderly lady spooned some of the food onto her plate. After everyone was served both Mac Gearailts bowed their head, clasped their hands a said a short prayer. Rose and the Doctor hastily followed suit.

Mr. Mac Gearailt popped his head up and unclasped his hands. "Right then! Enjoy," he said before digging into his own portion.

Rose quickly spooned the meat to her mouth, savouring the way the venison melted in her mouth. She made a noise of contentment. "This is delicious," she complimented with a bit of food still her mouth. She picked up what looked like a purple carrot and spooned it past her lips, perplexed by the colour but impressed by the flavour. She delicately pushed aside the parsnips, wrinkling her nose a bit before delightfully divulging in the beans and peas. After she had some food in her stomach and she wasn't as ravenous, Rose realized she must have been eating like a pig. She sat back and began to eat more like a lady, delicately bringing the food to her mouth in small bites. "Where do you get these vegetables?" She asked.

"Oh, we have a few farmers 'round here that do most o' the growin'. Them carrots an' parsnip are from our own little plot out back but the beans and peas are from Fearghus ó Ceallacháin up the road. The venison is from the forest o' course. The high lord that owns the shire lets each family take a few deer e'ery year, then we hunt the smaller game like hares an' squirrels an' hedgehog," Mr. Mac Gearailt said before he took a big bite. Rose was happy that she was eating deer, rather than hedgehog at the moment.

"Is the lord aware of the disappearances?" The Doctor asked.

"Well even if he was, I don't think he'd do much," said Mrs. Mac Gearailt said. "He keeps to his own, we keep to ours. He's pleasant for a highborn type, not like others I've 'eard of."

"But doesn't he care if his people go missing?" Rose asked, taken aback at her nonchalant attitude.

"As long as he gets his share of the produce every year, he don't much care what we do."

"So you two ar' in town lookin' into them disappearances, hm?" Áine changed the subject off of the lord that technically owned their land and house.

"Yes, we are very curious what could be causing it," the Doctor said, diplomatically.

"Mhm, very strange indeed."

The Mac Gearalit's were quiet eaters, and there was no more conversation throughout the rest of supper. All that could be heard was the occasional crackle from the fire and the scraping of spoons against the bowls.

"That was amazing," Rose commented, licking the spoon when she had finished her meal. The Doctor was copying her actions across the table, savouring the last bits of broth that clung to the pewter spoon. Though he didn't eat much, when he did eat it was impressive. She supposed the entire day walking had worked up an appetite in him as well.

"Thank ye kindly," Áine looked pleased, and her ruddy face darkened considerably in what Rose assumed was a blush. "It was just simple, nothin' like them fancy meals I am certain ye get in London."

"No, it was much better," the Doctor said and Áine beamed.

After the dishes were washed and everything was put away, which Rose insisted on helping with, Mr. Mac Gearalit let out a yawn. "Well I believe me an' the missus are goin' to be goin' to bed soon. Yer bed is the one over there," Mr. Mac Gearalit looked at Rose and gestured his head to the door on the left. "And yers is the other," he eyed the Doctor. His tone made it clear the separate bedrooms were a nonnegotiable fact.

"Yessir," the Doctor said seriously. "Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. Mac Gearalit, goodnight Miss. Tyler." He finished his sentence with a small wink to Rose behind the couple's back.

"I'll see yer in the mornin' a' the crack o' dawn. Got to get some work done," Mr. Mac Gearalit said as his marched up the creaky stairs behind his wife. Rose could hear them shuffling around overhead. She thought it would make it much harder to sneak out and see the woods as they planned, with the way sound echoed off the walls.

"So go to your bedroom and we can sneak out in, say, an hour?" The Doctor whispered conspiratorially. Rose thought that he sounded like a teenage boy planning to get up to no good.

"Think they'll have gone to sleep by then?"

"Yeah, they probably have been awake since 4:30 in the morning, so they'll nod off soon."

"Alright, I will see you then."

Rose walked into her room, pulling aside the woven curtain and stepping into a small space. There was a small single bed with a, as suspected, straw mattress. The bedding was nice enough for the time period, and the blanket had a distinctly homemade feel to it. There was a simple nightgown draped across the end of the bed. Judging by its size, Rose assumed it belonged to Áine. The only other thing in the room was a small simple table with a candle stick. Rose walked to the window and opened the shutters. The room had a view of the country side, and she could see the dark forest, standing ominously in the distance. She estimated that it was about 8:00, but she had never been as good at telling time from the sky as the Doctor. Figuring that she could get a small kip before the Doctor would be knocking on her window. It had been a long day, running through the forest all morning and wandering around the village all afternoon.

Rose walked to the bed, just a few small steps, and toed off the slippers before falling into bed. She was asleep before her head hit the mattress.

She woke up to an annoying tapping sound. She wrinkled her forehead in distaste, keeping her eyes firmly shut. The tapping continued, becoming more insistent. She rolled over and groaned.

"Rose," she heard a voice whisper. "Rose?"

She mumbled an incoherent, "What," into the mattress before opening her eyes a crack. She saw the blurry shape of the Doctor standing at the window. She opened her eyes all the way. He looked like an overgrown owl peering in through the window.

"You humans and your sleeping habits, it's ridiculous. Waste a good eight hours of the day closing your eyes."

Rose pushed herself off the bed and stepped onto the floor, all the while glowering at the Doctor. "It's normal to sleep, if you hadn't notices. We are on Earth. What do they say about Rome?"

"Yes but we have aliens to investigate!" The Doctor said brightly.

Rose sighed, realizing he was right. Again. She groped around for her slipped on the floor and, once they were found under the bed, put them on. She threw the head covering on the bed and smoothed out her hair which was sticking up at odd angles. No one would see her in the dark so there was no need to keep up proper appearances, she figured.

"Alright, move over," Rose said, putting her hands on the window still. The Doctor moved and she clambered somewhat gracefully out the window landing in the dirt behind the house. "I wish it was that easy to sneak out of Jackie's house when I was a kid, yeah?"

The Doctor looked at her and snorted a laugh. "I'm sure you managed."

The Doctor took Rose's hand and they started off down the meadow towards to woods, careful to stay off the main path and out of the sight line of windows. They jumped over a low stone wall and into a pasture where the sheep were grazing. A dog that was meant to be guarding the sheep from wolves and robbers trotted over to them The great Irish wolfhound approached cautiously and sniffed before deciding they weren't any trouble, though he followed their movements until the end of the rest of the walk was pleasant enough and Rose admired the spring flowers that had begun to pop up in the grass. However, the journey into the woods was much more difficult than the stroll in the field.

"I think a torch would be good right about now, yeah?" Rose said, tripping over a shrub for what felt like the hundredth time. She missed her trainers and jeans.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and held it out in front of him. It lit up a small patch just a few feet in front of them but Rose sighed in relief. It was better than nothing.

"So what are we looking for?" Rose asked

"Oh you know, the usual, clues and such."

"What kind of clues and such?" She asked contemptibly.

"Traces of particle energy, ectoplasmic goo, gamma radiation, the usual. Might even be some reverse polarity of the neutron flow," he seemed positively excited at the possibility.

Rose nodded, unsure of her ability to detect particle energy. "Right."

They continued on, deeper into the forest where the trees were packed tighter together and the canopy was so dense that the moonlight couldn't trickle through the leaves. Suddenly, the light from the Doctor's screwdriver fell on something that caught Rose's eye.

"What's that?" She asked, halting the Doctor with her arm and pointing to the dirt.

The Doctor squatted so the light shone on the forest floor, illuminating the clue.

It was a footprint of some kind. Rose thought 'footprint' rather than 'pawprint' because it had toes and a similar shape as a human foot, but it was definitely not human. The entire print was elongated so that the toes were as long at Rose's thumb and pinky finger and the entire print was as long as the doctor's forearm, but as thin as Rose's. The print was so clear that Rose could make out the imprint of long, thin bones which had sunk deeper in the mud. There was also an odd, familiar smell that clung to the area, but Rose couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"How does a ball of light leave a footprint?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"It doesn't." He was squinting at the mark in the ground. His hand was absentmindedly analyzing it with the sonic screwdriver, which was making whirring noises as he passed it over the print. "The screwdriver is telling me there are traces of alien energies. Definitely not human," he confirmed. "Though I don't know what it is." He sounded frustrated.

"We'll figure it out," Rose said, putting her hand on the Doctor's back. "We always do, yeah?"

The Doctor stood back up with a new resolute expression on his face. "Right," he said, smiling. "I do love a good mystery."

They continued in the woods, keeping their eyes on the forest floor looking for more prints or anything else that could hint towards the identity of the monster lurking in the dark. The moon was high in the sky, Rose noted, when she caught a glance through the leaves above her head. They must have been searching for hours. Her feet were tired, again. The slippers she was wearing were not built for hiking on rough terrain. Rose was thankful that it was dry, otherwise she would have had to explain why there was mud caked on her new shoes. Her hem of the dress kept catching on twigs and bushes, making walking more cumbersome. She eventually lagged behind the Doctor, far enough away that she could still see the light but not close enough to seek the comforting touch of his hand.

She looked up after stumbling and saw that he had gone so far ahead, his light was no longer visible. She was alone in the dark woods. "Doctor?" She asked shrilly, when she realized how far she was from him. As she moved quicker, she caught the light from the sonic screwdriver, more than a few feet away from her. It was moving further away from Rose. She followed the bobbing light, rushing to keep up. "Doctor!" She said more loudly, breaking into a run to catch up. The blue light began moving faster as well. "Stop running!" She struggled to run without falling.

She ran through the dense trees for five minutes, dodging branches and jumping over shrubs, attempting to catch up with her Doctor. She only paused for a second when her hem snagged on a twig, and she worked quickly to untangle herself. Curiously enough the Doctor's light paused with her. "This isn't funny, you know," Rose called to him. "Just let me catch up!" When she managed herself free, she began to run again. The light blinked out and she ran into something hard and solid, bouncing off and falling on her bum.

"Oh there you are Rose. Thought you might have gone back," the Doctor said mildly.

She picked herself off the ground, brushing away dirt and leaves from her dress. "Why did you decide to take a bloody run in the forest?" She said fiercely.

"I've been walking the whole time. Just stopped here when I found something interesting."

Rose forgot her anger and looked around the Doctor to see what his sonic was shining on. The corpse of an animal lay in a small clearing. It was large and hoofed, but half eaten making it difficult to discern what species it belonged to. She noted the simple leather harness around what was left of the animal's face.

"Horse?" She guessed.

"Too small, looks like a donkey, or a mule. Could be an ass, but I can't be sure." The Doctor said conversationally, leaving Rose to figure out the difference. "I believe this was Mr. Reid's animal that his wife said he took to the neighbouring village. Looks like it never got there."

"Do you think that thing that left the footprint ate it?" Rose gulped. It looked like it had been devoured cruelly.

"No, this is probably a wolf pack. It looks like it wandered for a few days before they killed it," he tapped his sonic as if it was proof to back up his story. Rose just nodded. "So the question is, what kills or kidnaps humans but not donkeys?" He hummed to himself. "See it's not doing this out of hunger. A donkey would be much tastier and put up less of a fight. And it would go unnoticed," he added.

Rose could tell he was thinking aloud, and didn't think she'd add anything to his train of thought. She didn't bother piping in to add anything. She did however let out a large yawn that she failed to stifle. The Doctor glanced over at her, and raised an eyebrow.

"Right, it's late and the human needs sleep. We will go back and get some rest and start anew tomorrow."

"I'd like that," Rose said sleepily. She could feel her eyes willing themselves to close. The adrenaline rush from losing the Doctor was fading and leaving a lull in her brain. Everything felt sort of fuzzy. She realized that she had been awake for more than 18 hours and doing strenuous exercise for half of that.

They made their way out of the forest, and Rose trusted the Doctor's sense of direction. She didn't bother to question it at least, either because she trusted him or she was just too tired. Probably both. Her tired feet were dragging and the Doctor had his arm around her waist, supporting his tired companion. When they reached the edge of the forest, Rose glanced back. Her eyes might have been closed and she was dreaming, or it could have been a sleep-deprived hallucination but she swore she saw a blue light, flickering hopefully in the dark. When she blinked, it was gone, leaving her wondering if it had been her imagination or not.

Back at the house, the Doctor helped Rose through the window before she tumbled into bed, not bothering to take off her shoes or dress. Her eyes closed and she snuggled against the straw mattress. She was shocked at how comfortable it was and thought about replacing hers at home while she drifted off into sleep.

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_Hmm, maybe things aren't always what they seem? I am going to be exploring this in Chapter 6. The next chapter will feature another disappearance and a few more clues. Thank for reading, and please review! _

_Also, regarding that bit of technobabble, I am not a scientist so I have no idea what any of it means and I took most of it straight from Doctor Who, which belongs to BBC. ~ Hayley. _


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Told you I am updating quickly! I have no more homework until February Break so I have been spending my time writing and relaxing. Quite fun actually. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, it was quite fun to write and very fun to research._

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**Chapter Five:**

Rose woke up the next morning to the sound of clanging in the next room. She opened her eyes and went to reach for a clock to check the time groggily. When she looked over at the table beside the bed and saw only a candlestick, she remembered that there was no clock, let alone any electricity. She got up and stretched before checking the progress of the sun in the sky to judge the time. It had barely peeped over the edge of the trees and the sky was still red and pink. The moon was still visible she groaned internally. She looked down at her dress which had been slept in, noting the wrinkles and realized nothing could be done to straighten them out.

Sighing, Rose walked through the woven curtain and was met with a very homey scene. The Doctor was sitting contently at the table, munching on a piece of rustic bread with preserves. Mrs. Mac Gearailt was busying herself in the kitchen, washing dishes with some water from the well. A delicious smell was wafting from the pot over the fire. Rose stumbled to the kitchen and pulled up a chair, putting her head on the table. Áine brought her over a bowl of oats that had been cooking in the pot with a dollop of strawberry jam and a bit of honey. Rose realized that her host was pulling out all of her best cooking, attempting to impress, what she thought were, the posh Londoners.

"Not used to the early mornin' are ye?" She asked with a smirk. Rose lifted her head up for the food.

"No, in London we don't get up until later," Rose said vaguely, blowing on a spoonful of porridge.

"Well 'ere we 'ave to get up bright an' early to get the chores done," she explained. "Cathal goes an' helps with plowin' and sewin' the crops down at ó Ceallacháin's farm. He grows the wheat an' oats for the town, sells em' to us cheap when Cathal 'elps out. Got up early today to 'elp before church." The elderly lady eyed Rose, "you'll be needin' to remember yer bonnet."

Rose nodded, eating slowly. She almost forgot that it was Sunday and going to church would be expected. The Doctor had been strangely quiet through the exchange, just eating his bread and absentmindedly staring out the window. Probably pondering on what the footprint they had found last night meant.

"Yer goin' to be 'elping me feed the 'orses," Áine said to Rose, taking away the bowl from the table.

"Alright," she said. She hadn't been around many horses before, only the one on the spaceship when the clockwork robots had been trying to cut her open and she hadn't had a chance to approach it. She wasn't entirely sure how to act around them. She remembered reading they could sense fear. Great.

"An' you can go 'elp Cathal with the plowing. I know the good book says that Sunday is a day o' rest, but that isn't always possible when there's work to be done," Áine said offhandedly, talking to the Doctor. Rose thought he was going to choke for a split second. His eyes widened and he coughed around his bread. He was about to object when he looked at the older woman's resolute expression. Rose thought he visibly weakened under her glare. She'd have to learn how to do that. "You two can help us in the mornin' and then go 'bout yer business after church." The doctor nodded, acknowledging defeated.

"Now out the door with the two of ye, we can clean up when we get back." She hurried the Rose and the Doctor out the door. "Cathal will be o're there, ye can see him and Sean ó Ceallacháin with the donkey," she pointed to a far off field where Rose could see one man trying to convince the mule to move forward, and the other steadying the plow in the back. She almost felt sorry for the Doctor, she didn't think he'd done hard labour once in his long life.

The Doctor began walking towards the field, his shoulders low and his face arranged into a scowl. Rose turned away from him and began following Mrs. Mac Garealit.

"Here," she said, thrusting a wooden bucket into Rose's hands and taking one for herself. She stalked off towards a stone well that was on a communal property. Rose gingerly tied the bucket to the string and lowered in into the dark pit until she felt the rope slacken. She pulled up the bucket and saw it was brimming with cool water. Áine copied her actions and soon they had two very full buckets of water.

"This way," Áine said walking towards a rustic stable.

The barn was small and smelled strongly like farm animal. Rose had to hold her breath to keep her eyes from watering. There were two horses in the barn. One was very large and muscular; it was black and had white patches around its face and hooves, with copious amounts of hair. The name Clydesdale came to mind, but Rose wasn't entirely sure that was the correct term. The second was slight and light beige in colour with a blonde mane and tail. It trotted nervously when Rose entered the barn.

When the chores were done and the horses were fed and watered, they walked back to the house under a risen sun. Rose could see the Doctor in the distance, looking very out of place in the field. She suppressed a giggle and followed Áine back into the house.

"Now ye can't be wearin' that old dress to church," Rose's host said, rounding on her. "I think I've some old dresses from me, younger, days up in me chest. They should fit ye just fine." Áine patted her figure self-consciously before turning on her heel.

Rose watched her march up the stairs and heard her open something. She waited patiently for Áine to walk back down the stairs. She handed Rose a bundle of cloth and shooed her into the back room to get changed.

Rose quickly slipped on the new dress, admiring the fine linen cloth and slightly puffed sleeves. It was a mute red colour with black trimmings. Like the other dress, it cinched at the waist but it was more form fitting and showed off the top half of her figure, though the neckline was conservative just showing off her collarbones. The bottom half floated out gracefully in an a-line skirt. Rose put on the headdress and adjusted her hair before going out and showing Mrs. Mac Garealit.

The elderly woman was also changed into a nicer dress, a light blue colour that toned down her complexion.

Just as Rose was about to speak, the Doctor and Cathal Mac Garealit walked in. The Doctor looked positively shaken. It was the first time Rose had ever seen him disheveled with his tie partly undone and his suit sweated through. He had dirt up to his ankles and, somehow, on his face and nose. He gave Rose a look before going to his room to clean up.

"Well I don' think that one's made for 'ard labour," Mr. Mac Garealit laughed. He also went up stairs to change into his Sunday best.

By the time they got to the church, it was full of the townspeople. Rose, the Doctor, who had sonic'ed his clothing clean and looked much more put together, and the Mac Garealit's took a seat in one of the back pews. The Doctor and Rose took the time to take in the rest of the townspeople.

Rose noted the large blacksmith sitting at the front. He was next to an fourty-something petite woman with her dirty blonde hair pulled severely up into a bun and covered with a small bonnet. She had delicate features with astonishing blue eyes that were surrounded by laugh lines. Beside them were four young girls, ranging from the age of around twenty to five. Two young boys also sat with them, one a teenager and the other a toddler who was curled up in his mother's lap. The eldest, the so-called most beautiful girl in the town, certainly lived up to her reputation. Light blonde hair was tucked under a simple white bonnet, though some strands of gentle waves that struggled to escape nicely framed her heart-shaped face. She had her mother's delicate features but her father's warm green eyes. Her simple white dress clung to her small figure. Rose could see why she was the most beautiful in town.

While Aodhán spoke his sermon, Rose observed the rest of the town. There was another family sitting near the front, a harried looking man and large boned wife with five children in various states of shabby clothing. One of the older sons was eying the beautiful girl appreciatively. There was another man and his wife just behind them with one daughter, all sitting pin-rod straight and paying apt attention to Aodhán. A sad looking man, sitting just in front of Rose, tried to hold two young boys, twins, while they squirmed about on the seat. She saw Miss. Reid sitting with the rest of the widows, all in black clothing, looking solemnly at the podium.

Rose let her attention and imagination wander for the rest of the ceremony. She could see the Doctor doing the same thing, looking at people and silently making mental notes. Finally, Aodhán's speech came to a halt and the church mumbled 'Amen' in unison. The church filled with sounds of rustling as people began to get up and move around, socializing.

Mrs. Mac Garealit hurried Rose and the Doctor over to the closest family, ready to introduce everyone.

"An' this is Cian ó Dubhuir," Áine said, introducing them , once again, to the giant blacksmith.

"'Lo," he said waving a hand. "This is me wife, Róisín, an' me children, Dónal, Faolán, Treasa, Deirdre, Aisling, Sadhbh." He gestured a giant hand to his sons first, then his daughters, eldest first and youngest last. Each of them nodded their head in turn as he called their names. Treasa was the clearly the oldest, the rest of the children looked to be anywhere from early teens to young toddlers.

"My name is Rose Tyler, this is the Doctor," Rose introduced herself.

"Very pleased t'meet you Miss Tyler," the pretty daughter, Treasa, said.

"You as well, Treasa," she said in return, thankful for at least one name she could pronounce. Their hosts were in a deep conversation with Mr. ó Dubhuir and his wife, and most of the children had run off to play, wrestling and running around the main path.

Only Treasa was left standing in front of Rose. She smiled kindly, unsure of what to say. The Doctor muttered an excuse, and ran off to catch Aodhán, probably to inform him of their discover of Mr. Reid's donkey.

"Well, looks like it's just us girls," Rose said lightly. "Why don't we go for a stroll, yeah?"

The younger girl nodded, and followed Rose out of the church onto the main path where many of the church patrons were conversing pleasantly, gossiping about this and that.

"So I hear that you are recently engaged?" Rose asked, trying to stimulate some kind of conversation.

Treasa blushed, enhancing her beauty with a bit of colour on her pale cheeks. "Not really," she said quietly in a silvery voice. "A man asked my father for my hand, but he hasn't said yes yet."

"You don't sound very happy about it."

The girl blushed darker, and averted her eyes. "No."

"Is there a reason? Just between us girls." Rose smiled kindly, hoping to relax Treasa.

"I don' love him."

"And is there someone in particular you do love?" Rose thought she heard a note of longing in Treasa's voice.

"Well," Treasa said, but she didn't finish her thought. She glanced over to where her father was talking animatedly to an older man. Rose could hear his booming voice from where she was standing.

"I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about. I know a thing or two about love," Rose added wistfully.

"Is it that man ye came here with?" Treasa asked, her eyes wide. Rose could see the scandalous thoughts processing behind the blue eyes. They were, afterall, a young unmarried pair, travelling together without official supervision.

"It's complicated. He doesn't love me like that, but we're very close friends," there was a hint of frustration in her voice.

"I know how you feel. Ye see tha' man o're there? With the two wee babes?" She pointed towards the sad looking man with the two children that Rose had seen in church. Upon a closer inspection, she could see handsome features beneath the worn expression on his face. His messy hair was an auburn colour and there was distinct stubble around his square jaw, but Rose could imagine that he would look handsome if he polished up. "His name is Sean ó Ceallacháin ." Rose remembered that this was the man whose farm the Doctor had helped out on this morning. Treasa continued, "his wife died givin' birth to 'em babes just two years back. He and I were...friends growin' up. Spent more than a few days swimmin' in the river and talkin' when our parents were gone or workin'. His marriage was arranged before..." she stopped talking suddenly.

"He was going to propose to you?" Rose guessed. Treasa nodded solemnly.

"An' now father won't let me marry him because he's widowed. Says I deserve a better man." She sniffed tearfully.

"Well keep your chin up," Rose said, unsure of how to comfort the girl. She wasn't sure about customs in medieval times, but she patted the girls arm reassuringly. "Everythin' always works out in the end."

The girl nodded, unconvinced, but she wiped away her blue eyes and straightened her expression. "I'm meetin' him later today. He wants to tell me something, he said it's important."

"Well you never know," Rose smiled. She caught sight of the Doctor heading out of the church and said her goodbyes to the girl before walking back to the cluster of people.

She caught up with the Doctor and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him away out of earshot.

"Did A... Aod...the priest say anything?"

"Just said that Mr. Reid most likely got lost in the woods. Didn't want to hear anything about anything supernatural," the Doctor said, frustrated. "He invited us to dinner with his family."

"Fantastic," Rose muttered. "I'm startin' to wonder if he has anything to do with this."

"I was thinking exactly the same thing," the Doctor smiled brightly.

Rose returned his grin. "Guess we'll just have to question him at dinner."

"You know that sometimes I think you just might enjoy all this."

"You know that sometimes I think you just might be right." And Rose didn't feel annoyed at all that the Doctor had been right again.

* * *

"Well that was useless," the Doctor muttered as they exited the house. They had had lunch with Aodhán, his son and daughter-in-law (Fearghus and Siobhán) and granddaughter (Ciara), who Rose remembered at the ones who had paid close attention during church. They kept the conversation neutral, sticking to things like the weather and speculating on the outcome of the harvest this year. Every attempt at bringing the conversation back to the goings on in the forest and been skilfully avoided. "Worse than useless!" he exclaimed. "If I could get my sonic close enough, maybe I could scan him." The Doctor looked thoughtful, no doubt trying to come up with a plan to do just that.

The Doctor brought a hand to his face and rubbed his brow, clearly stumped by the situation. Rose understood his frustration and was about to reach out and comfort him when a panicked voice arose over the crest of the hill.

The man that Treasa had pointed out, Sean ó Ceallacháin was sprinting towards Aodhán's house, shouting for help. He reached Rose and the Doctor and bent over to catch his breath. He was breathing very heavily.

"Treasa," he huffed.

"She isn't here," Rose said kindly.

The man looked up, his face was red and his cheeks were stained with tears. Rose took a step back as Aodhán and his family came out of the house to quiet the commotion.

"No," he gasped, tears still streaming down his face. "She's dead."

* * *

_Dinner, in medieval times, was actually lunch. Supper was dinner. If that makes sense. What I am trying to do with this story, besides solve the mystery, is give a history surrounding medieval everyday life. It's a throwback to the pure historicals that Doctor Who once featured. I am a history student so the history portion of all this is very near and dear to my heart. I hope I am doing an okay job and, as always, please review if you have ANY questions/concerns/comments._

_Like seriously, review. I only have one lonely comment and it's making me think this story isn't any good :(__~ Hayley._


	6. Chapter 6

_Here we get into the thick of the story. Any ideas yet? Also I moved the rating up from a K+ to a T because of some violence in this chapter. There is also an adorable little part put in there for the Rose/Doctor shippers (which let's be honest, I totally am to and if I wasn't writing canon there would be a lot more fun...). Also ignore mistakes (or review and tell me to fix them). I still have no beta, mostly because I have no idea how to get one. I hope years of university have taught me to proof read well enough and if not...well then it was a waste of time. Whoops. _

_ And as always, please review, I've put a lot of work into this and everyone likes to be appreciated every once and a while :)_

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Chapter Six:

Sean ó Ceallacháin was in a panicked state, Rose observed, as he paced to and fro across Aodhán's son's small house. He was wringing his hands together nervously, tears still staining his handsome face. If Rose thought he looked scruffy before, right now he looked broken and downright dishevelled. His clothes were dirty and out of place, Rose suspected that there were traces of blood on his dark pants, though it could have also been mud. His hair was a mess from running and his eyes were bloodshot.

"I don' understand," he was muttering to himself, his eyes wide and unblinking. He still paced.

Aodhán and his son and daughter-in-law were sitting at a simple oaken table. They had ushered Sean into the house quickly sending Aodhán's granddaughter to the church to pray. Aodhán pressed him to explain what he saw, but Sean's mind seemed to have snapped. He kept repeating the same words over and over again. The Doctor was leaning against the fireplace, following Sean with his eyes as he walked along the length of the house and back.

"Tell me what 'appened, lad," Aodhán asked, his voice more stern than Rose had heard it. Sean stopped and turned to look at him with large, red eyes. Tears welled up again.

"So much blood," he whispered so quietly that Rose strained to hear him. "She was lyin' there, her eyes starin' a' the sky an' her body all cut up." His voice wavered and he gulped. "I was goin' to meet her. Tell her I loved her. Ask her to marry me." The tears spilled, falling across his red cheeks and into his stubble. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Take me to her," the Doctor said. Sean turned towards him and Aodhán's eyes jumped to the Doctor.

"Aye, I think tha' may be best. Get the Doctor here to examine her," Aodhán announced, getting up slowly from the table. His hard eyes turned to Sean. "Yer goin' to be leadin' the way. Show us where yer found her."

"I...I can' do it. I can' see her again...like that," the young man collapsed into the nearest chair, and let his sadness overtake him. Sobs wracked his body as he mumbled incoherently about his long lost love. Rose caught a few words about swimming in the river, catching fish and kissing her under the stars, but most of the story was lost in his cries.

Aodhán's expression softened and he placed a hand onto Sean's back, soothing him with his touch. "We can' just leave her body out to be mutilated by wolves. Have to bury her decent, give her a good funeral. Ye know that. Are ye' kids safe?"

Sean nodded to both questions, his resolve hardening. "I took the wee babes o're to the widow's home to take care of 'em while I was off to see Treasa." He clenched his fists, trying to hold back his sorrow while her name left his lips like a prayer.

"Well than ye can take us to the woods."

Sean looked at the old priest fearfully.

"We hav' to get her father first," Aodhán said gently. He'll need to know what's happenin',"

Sean's eyes again gave away his terror. Rose couldn't blame him for not wanting to confront the giant blacksmith. She could remember that just that morning she overheard him telling another man about Treasa's various proposals and prospects. She didn't envy who ever the man would take his sorrow out on.

"Miss Tyler and I will go ahead, try and examine her before her father sees her," the Doctor announced, pushing himself away from the fireplace. He seemingly made up his mind about something.

"No father would want to see his daughter in such a state," Rose agreed with the Doctor. She gently took Sean by the arm. "You'll have to come show us were she is." She lowered her tone so as not to spook the poor man.

"She's o're in the forest, behind the river. I'll take ye there," he whispered so quietly that even Rose had to lean in to catch what he was saying.

"Aye, and I will go find Cian ó Dubhuir an' his wife and tell them the news." The old man sighed familiarly. From his tone Rose gathered that it wasn't the first time that he had the misfortune to tell family members of the death of loved ones. He walked out the door, nodding stiffly to his son and daughter in law.

Rose, Sean and the Doctor exited the house and set off in the opposite direction that they had gone the night before, away from the pasture and towards the river with the forest looming on the other side. Sean was hunched over, but he held back his tears, seemingly determined to bring Treasa to rest. Rose kept her arm nestled in the crook of his elbow, grounding him to the situation while simultaneously comforting the young man. The Doctor's expression remained neutral, but Rose could see the cogs turning in his head as he searched for a connection between the murder and the disappearances.

At the river, they hopped over a makeshift stone bridge, obviously made by the children of the village to play and walked over to the edge of the forest. At the tree line, Rose could feel Sean's hesitation to enter.

"It's okay," she reassured. "You can do this."

"It's just...this is where we used to meet. Whenever our parents were out in the field or talkin' after church, we'd run here an' talk for as long as we could. We kissed sometimes. She was just so beautiful, an' I couldn't help it. It was our secret place, just the two of us," he trailed off.

Rose gently patted his arm and pulled him, ever so slightly, one step at a time into the woods. Once both feet were past the trees, he seemed to have an easier time leading them to the body. Just a few feet past the entrance, there was a small clearing in the trees. In the centre of the dirt patch laid the body of Treasa ó Dubhuir. Sean yanked loose of Rose's hand and doubled over, retching behind a bush at the sight. Out of guilt or out of disgust, Rose wasn't quite sure.

Looking at the body made Rose's stomach flip and heart clench as well, but she managed to hold herself together as her and the Doctor approached. She had seen her fair share of gruesome images, travelling with the Doctor, but this was high on the list of the worst. Sean stayed, wisely, at the edge of the clearing, fearfully clutching a tree for support.

There was no doubt it was Treasa, her green eyes and white-blonde hair that had come loose from her head covering surrendered the identity. Rose supposed it was lucky that whatever had attacked her left that much, at least. The rest of her body had not been so lucky. Her mouth was torn open, the once pink lips pulled back, revealing a grotesque smile that exposed too many teeth. Over her entire body were deep scratch marks, made by claws, that had torn into her flesh leaving ragged pieces of skin hanging loosely. Her breast had been entirely ripped open, and Rose could see into the chest cavity where the heart was mysteriously missing. Her stomach was similarly opened, though seemingly for the only purpose of spilling the organs out of her body. Blood soaked the dirt around her body, staining the ground deep brown; the remains of her white dress would have been mistaken for red. The girl's eyes were wide open, the expression of terror etched into them and on the remains of her face. Rose wanted to look away but she sheer violence that had taken place captivated her attention, holding her gaze. She held the bile back in her throat.

"Whatever did this was not human," the Doctor said slowly. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning the body, concentrating on her midsection, where the brunt of the attack had been focused. The sonic beeped and the Doctor checked the results. "Same traces as that footstep we found," he muttered to Rose. She wondered what could possibly create so much violence and horror.

She was about to respond to the Doctor when the sound of heavy footsteps erupted from behind them. Cian ó Dubhuir crashed into the clearing, his giant frame was quivering with anger. Rose took a step away from him at the sight of his face. His brow was set in a scowl over his murderous eyes, his mouth clenched in a grimace. There were veins popping out of his neck and his hands were clenched in fists that were almost as large as Rose's head.

"Where is she?" His voice was low and dangerous. Rose felt a chill run down her spine. The effect was scarier than if he had been shouting at the top of his lungs.

"You don't want to see her," the Doctor said quietly, shielding the body. "Not like this."

Rose could see the anger building on his face as it darkened. "Move," he said in the same voice as before.

"No," the Doctor said standing his ground.

"I said, MOVE," Cian roared. He charged the Doctor knocking him aside and stopped dead in his tracks as he took in what laid before his eyes.

Rose thought that he might have turned on the Doctor, or her. His face was set in stone as he looked over his dead daughter's body. He rounded on Sean who had been staying back by the trees, avoiding Cian's gaze, which had resumed the lethal glare. The blacksmith stalked towards the young man in a few footsteps and grabbed him by the shoulders, lifting his feet off the ground.

"What did ye do to her!" He demanded, his face inches away from Sean's. "Did ye kill her? Did she reject yer proposal. Don' think I didn't know what ye were up to. I seen the way ye looked at her," He growled. "I've seen it for twelve years, e're since she was old enough to run off to catch the first boy who picked her flowers." Cian spat the word _boy_.

Aodhán walked quietly out of the bush, holding a white sheet. He walked past the two in confrontation and placed the sheet over the daughter's body, saying the last rites and making the sign of the cross before turning back to Cian and Sean. He put a hand on the blacksmith's shoulder and forced him to look into his eyes.

"No human could'a done that an' ye know it," he said simply. "Now leave the poor man be. Ye should be grievin' together, not pointin' fingers."

Just as quickly as the rage had come, it subsided into sorrow, Cian's expression turned to hopelessness. His eyes welled up and he led out a great wail. He fell to his knees, sobbing at the sky, questioning God and begging for her life. Rose reached out to him, much like she had with the younger man who had been inconsolable just minutes before. He was almost her height on his knees and so she put a hand on his shoulder and began murmuring comforting words.

"At least she isn't sufferin' anymore," she said simply to Cian who nodded blankly.

Aodhán moved over to the Doctor. "That isn't no wolf attack. I've seen a fair share o' those on the sheep and a few 'orses. I don' know what could have caused that."

"I don't either," the Doctor said.

Rose was impressed with Cian ó Dubhuir's strength. He pulled himself together quickly and managed to stand far sooner than any father who had lost a child needed to. With tears still caught in his black beard, he reached down and gingerly picked up his daughter's body. The thick wool sheet was beginning to soak through with the pooled blood that hadn't made it to the ground. He pulled the limp corpse to his chest and began to walk out of the forest, with Sean and Aodhán following closely.

Rose and the Doctor were left alone with the bloodstained forest floor as the only evidence of the grisly murder that had taken place. They looked at each other. The Doctor's eyes were tight. He walked over to Rose, closing the gap between them with a few long strides and gathered her into his arms, hugging tightly and burying his face in the comforting gap between her shoulder and neck. She wrapped his arms around his back, pulling him closer and resting her cheek against his hair.

"It's not your fault, yeah?" She told him. He released her from his grasp and took a step away, examining her from arms length. Slowly he reached a hand to her face and brushed away a tear that she hadn't noticed escape from her eyes. "I know it's not fair. It's never fair. She was young and beautiful and in love, and whatever took that away from her was cruel and unfeeling. But maybe it'll help us solve it. Maybe something will give a clue," Rose teared up again, thinking of how scared and alone Treasa must have felt. The pain must have been unbearable. Rose closed her eyes, letting a few more tears escape.

"We will figure this out," the Doctor said firmly.

"We always do," she sighed. "Sometimes I just wish everything could go easily. Like that time during the Blitz. Everybody lived, just that once, everybody lived," she said echoing the Doctor's happiest words wishing they could be said. He quirked the side of his mouth up sadly. "At least we know it wasn't Aodhán yeah? We were with him after church, haven't left his side. And I don't think that it was Sean, his grief was too...real."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed.

"See, we're narrowing it down."

He gave a small smile before hunkering down to work. He brought his scanner out from his jacket pocket where he had deftly stored it when Cian came barging in. Waving it over the bloodstain, he reached his other hand into his pocket and pulled out his thick-rimmed glasses.

"Maybe there are traces of the blood of the thing that killed her," he muttered to himself, searching for even a speck of alien blood for the screwdriver to trace.

Rose stood over him, agreeing with his ideas and disagreeing where it suited. She tried to stay away from the place where the body had laid. There were small chunks of flesh and bone that, if she got close enough to identify what they were, Rose was sure she would retch. The Doctor continued to rattle off ideas and theories and Rose's eyes began to wander to the trees.

"Has to have some pretty big claws," he said, "that should narrow it down. And it has to have a reason to take the heart."

"Doctor..." Rose began, spotting something in the woods.

"But why haven't we found any other bodies," he wondered aloud, his eyes focused on the ground.

"Doctor." Rose said again, her voice an octave higher and more urgent.

"Maybe it doesn't like girls, that's why it's only taken men and killed Treasa. But that would mean it needs men for something that it doesn't need women," he rambled.

"DOCTOR," Rose's voice rang out in the forest, penetrating the Doctor's investigative trance.

He looked up and then slowly rose from his squatted position.

"Rose," he said quietly. "Step back." He threw a protective arm out in front of her, ushering her to get behind his body.

She did as she was told, tip-toeing behind the Doctor, wary not to make a sound, keeping her eyes fixed in front of her. Her heart stopped before fluttering at a fast pace. Because in front of her was a blue ball of light, looping and weaving lazily in midair, floating just feet away from where Treasa had been killed and where Rose and the Doctor were standing.

It moved towards them.

* * *

_Dun Dun Dun..._

_So that was one of the goriest things I have ever written and I'm not sure if I enjoyed it. Oh well, it's going to get a lot worse from here on out. Fabulous. The beasties will be coming out of the woodwork soon, so stay tuned and follow if your interested._

_OH and also...REVIEW. Like a lot. Like one for every chapter! If you do, then chocolate for everyone ~ Hayley_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Hello all, thanks for sticking with this. It has been a long week, filled with frightful essays and midterms (yikes). I finally got this chapter finished on my plane ride home and am publishing it while I am waiting for my baggage to arrive. Literally. I seriously researched the best I could into some funeral practices, so I hope you enjoy the history. And as always, I edited the best I could but I was on a bumpy plane and so there may be a few errors. Point 'em out, or ignore them please and thank you :) I really hope you enjoy and REVIEW! Cookies if you review. Or Doctor kisses. Either or ;)_

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

The Doctor did the absolute last thing that Rose expected.

He threw back his head and laughed. A loud, rancorous sound echoed off the trees and a handful of birds took wing at the terrifying noise.

Rose was taken aback, her mind was racing. Maybe the light drove people to madness. Maybe the Doctor had already been seduced by it and was in mortal danger. She saw his body lying on the ground, slashed open like Treasa's had been and both his hearts taken, eaten by the foul creature. She refused to let that happen. Rose pulled the Doctor's arm, shielding her eyes from the light to avoid it from corrupting her mind. Quickly she pulled him through the forest and through the river, not bothering to step on the stones and soaking the hemline of her dress, the Doctor in tow. He seemed to be following willingly, but maybe his senses had been lost, maybe he was willing to follow whatever coerced him. Rose kept running and only stopped when she reached the open field, in full view of the houses.

"Is it followin' us?" She asked, catching her breath, ready to run again at the Doctor's answer.

"No, Rose," the Doctor said, traces of mirth still escaped from his lips. He seemed to be amused by Rose's reaction to the light. "You don't see it, do you?"

"See what?" She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow, copying his famous expression and daring him to mock her ignorance.

"There's no danger in the forest," he said. "Well, at least not from that thing."

"What do you mean there is no danger in the forest? That thing tore Treasa apart, you saw it! It took her heart and ripped her intestines right out of her body," Rose felt queasy just saying that.

"No, no, no no no no," the Doctor wagged his finger excitedly.

Rose glared at it contemptibly, she felt an overwhelming desire to bite the finger that wagged in her face. "Well then what did?" She was getting exceedingly irritable.

"I don't know," he said and Rose opened her mouth to talk, a loud protest already on her lips. "But," the Doctor exclaimed loudly, interrupting her, "I do know what that was."

"Well what was it? An alien weapon? Laser residue? A figment of my imagination?"

"That was a Doradalos."

That stopped Rose's anger in its tracks. "A what?"

"A Doradalos," the Doctor said brightly. "Oh this is brilliant. They are these little tiny creatures that float about space. They aren't very intelligent, sort of like bugs that get stuck on the windshield of your spaceship if you're unlucky. But they sort of float around until they find planets with intelligent life and then they settle in and live off of carbon decay in the atmosphere. You see them hanging around bogs and decaying matter, humans mistake them for the oxidation of phosphine, diophosphine and methane or bioluminescence but it's really little aliens. Cool, eh?" He smiled devilishly.

"They're...bugs," Rose said incredulously.

"Well space bugs. They are actually little things, just the size of my pinky finger nail, but they let off the blue glowy stuff when they've eaten. Sometimes they float about space, helping people in need guiding them with their light to safe places. They are helpful little things, though not necessarily intelligent. Once I was on a moon in the Rexabatorix galaxy and I was wondering around in the Tardis, and one of those things led me away from a black hole. It's actually a funny story, see I was..."

"So, they're bugs," Rose interrupted, still trying to piece everything together. "They aren't hinkypinkies or will-o-the-wisps because they are bugs."

"Yes."

"They can't kill anyone, or do anything to harm them...because they're bugs."

"Nope," the Doctor popped his 'p'.

"Well then what killed Treasa?"

"Well that I don't know, but we can figure it out."

"How?"

The Doctor pointed back to the forest and said, "those little bugs can tell us."

"You speak... Doradalonigan I suppose," Rose said sarcastically, making up the word on the spot.

"Well no, but give me time, and I'll get the answer."

Rose shot him a glance, snorted, and looked over towards the houses in the village. From over the roofs, Rose could hear that there was some kind of an uproar erupting from the town centre. Angry voices were carrying over the field.

"Come on, we'd best find out what that is," Rose said, picking up her skirt and rushing towards the town. The Doctor followed closely behind her.

The entire town was gathered around the church steps. Angry voices rose like a cacophonic orchestra, shouting and yelling and pointing fingers. Aodhán stood on the steps with two other older men, holding the crowd at bay. Cian was also there, leaning against the doors, looking resigned to the mess that was unfolding around him. The crowd seemed to be divided into two groups, each accusing the other of something. It looked as though a fight was going to break out at any second. Or worse a riot. Rose didn't want to see a mob of angry villagers with pitchforks. Not only would it be too cliché, she was certain that her and the Doctor would be the first targets of a xenophobic hunt.

The Doctor ran through the crowd, pulling Rose through the tightly packed bodies. She caught snippets of conversations as they wrestled their way to the front steps.

"I want to see that boy hanged." An angry young man yelled.

"Aye, string him up in the tree and leave 'im fer the crows," another agreed wholeheartedly.

"Show 'im some mercy, it can' have been 'im," an older man shouted back.

"I 'eard her body was torn apart, it'll be a witch tha's done it. Black magic sorcery," a lady said wisely. "Find the witch, aye."

There was a round of rancorous 'Ayes' that followed. Rose gulped. The town wanted blood and they weren't going to rest until they got it. Rose feared that she or the Doctor might be accused. It was suspicious, she conceded, that they had shown up just as Treasa had been killed. Terror gripped her throat. She looked to the Doctor for an answer but found him missing from her side.

The Doctor managed to struggle his way to the front. He nodded quickly to Aodhán who surrendered the floor, so to speak. The Doctor turned to the crowd, silencing the townsfolk with a time lord glare. They hushed quickly.

"I examined the body after it was found. In my experience as a doctor," he emphasized the word strongly, "it is my professional opinion that it was the wolves that killed Miss. ó Dubhuir. There is no evidence of foul play, nor evidence of witchcraft," he eyed the lady who had brought up the topic to begin with. "Though it is a tragedy, it was a natural death, and Treasa ó Dubhuir is now in a better place."

The townsfolk had the decency to look abashed. They respected Aodhán enough to trust the Doctor's word. Rose breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to diffuse the situation and placated the townspeople with a natural, rather than supernatural, explanation.

Aodhán stepped forward, addressing the crowd once again. "The funeral will be tonight, at dusk. Mr. ó Dubhuir wishes to bring his daughter to rest as soon as possible, so please join us when the sun falls behind the mountain."

With his word, the people dispersed, still gossiping in hushed whispers about the death, but no longer calling for Sean's blood. The Doctor and Rose were left with the town elders and Cian on the door step of the church.

"I know them marks weren' made by no wolves," Aodhán said, "but they don' need to be knowin' that. Come, we'll get in the church. The rest o' the ó Dubhuir's'll be in there, an' Sean too."

They entered the church to a tearful family. Treasa's mother, Róisín was holding the youngest toddler, who clearly had no concept of what was happening and was happily sucking on his thumb. Róisín on the other hand was weeping freely, holding her oldest son's hand. The three other daughters were all huddled together, all clearly in different stages of grief. Sean was sitting at a distance from the family, his eyes fixed on the front of the church where his lover was placed. Treasa's body lay on the table that normally held the transubstantiation equipment, covered with a new white cloth which remained, thankfully, white. A simple pine coffin stood up against the wall, reminding everyone unnecessarily of the sobering situation.

Rose went to sit with the family, unsure of what to do or where her place was. "I'm sorry for your loss," she whispered to Róisín. The grieving mother nodded and reached out for Rose's hand, which willingly accepted and squeezed comfortingly. She watched Cian walk over to Sean and sat down wordlessly beside him. He looked the younger man once over and put a comforting arm around him, patting his back, as he would have his own son. Sean looked at Cian gratefully as the two men came to a silent, mutual understanding.

Once again, Aodhán took charge of the situation, walking to the front and addressing the family like he would have preached a sermon. "We are goin' to have to get her in the coffin," he began. "An' then ye can plan out what ye want to say, if there are any bible passages ye would like included in the ceremony."

Róisín sniffed but nodded. Cian gave a mumble of confirmation that he heard, but didn't add anything to the conversation.

"I'd like to say...something," Rose piped up, her voice hushed. "I know I only met her this mornin', but," she searched for the right words. "I want to say goodbye. If that's alright," she added hastily.

Róisín looked at her, her eyes wide and expression curious. Rose didn't think she say any hostility but something flashed behind her eyes as she processed the request. "Aye, I think that'll be okay," she mumbled, her voice low and thick with emotion. Cian looked at Rose thankfully.

* * *

That evening the funeral took place. It was a simple affair and nothing like the grandiose funerals that Rose had been to in her own time. When her Grandmum had passed, half of the neighbourhood had been invited to the ceremony, along with anyone that the family had made contact with in the past twenty years, it seemed. There were gaudy flower arrangements and an expensive coffin and a guestbook at the funeral house. Rose said goodbye in her own way, instead of looking the open casket and voicing her grief like the others did. The affair felt, to Rose, more like an excuse to show off her Nan's wealth and prestige, rather than to say goodbye and celebrate her memory.

The ceremony that was held in honour of Treasa was natural. She lay in a simple closed pine box at the head of the church with a simple bouquet of wildflowers that one of her sisters had picked and laid on top. The pews were filled with the townsfolk who were still smartly dressed in their Sunday church clothes, all quietly bowing their heads in memory of the beautiful girl. Aodhán stood in his natural place at the podium, speaking of the better life that Treasa was now experiencing in Heaven, with her grandparents, passed siblings and God. There was mourning as well, as Cian got up and spoke of Treasa's purity and goodness in life. His wife cried as he sat down and he put a comforting arm around her, while his other held his eldest son's hand.

When it was Rose's turn to speak, she let go of the Doctor's hand, which she had been squeezing extremely tightly, and walked to the front of the church. She ignored the curious and somewhat suspicious looks from some of the people in the pews, and walked to the podium to say her part.

"I know I didn't know Treasa as long as you have," she began quietly and respectfully, "but from the little time we spent together, I learned that she was a passionate girl with a large heart. She loved her family, respected her father and the church and Aodhán," (she proudly did not stumble on his name). "She wasn't afraid to follow her heart, which cannot be said for most people that live through life. Treasa did not deserve to leave you so young, but she had good years with people who loved her, and took care of her, and that's all that matters," she finished somewhat lamely. But her words seemed to have left an impact on the ó Dubhuir family, and indeed on the rest of the Church. They stared at her silently as she walked back to her seat.

Aodhán took the podium again, said the Lord's Prayer, the rest of the church followed in unison. Even the Doctor hung his head and mumbled a few words, including the "Amen" at the end.

"Now I will call the coffin bearers to the front and we will begin our way to the cemetery," Aodhán said. Four men, Cian and his eldest and two men Rose did not recognize by name, rose to the front of the church and lifted the coffin upon their shoulders. They slowly walked out the front door, the church congregation following them. The main path was washed with red light from the setting sun, which threw bloody shadows onto the town. Darkness would fall soon. During the walk to the cemetery, the tears flowed freely, led chiefly by the silent sobs that wracked Cian as he clutched his daughter's coffin until his fingernails dug into the wood. His wife followed close behind, clutching their youngest to her breast who only now seemed to have grasped the gravity of the situation. He was tearfully calling out for his oldest sister, searching among his siblings and reaching his cubby arms out to be held by her. The other family members remained silent, choosing to show their grief through the tears that rolled down their cheeks.

Rose held back a few tears herself and reached for the Doctor's hand. He grasped it and gave her a squeeze of comfort before she leaned onto his shoulder. She didn't much care what her behaviour said about their relationship to the townsfolk who would no doubt see it as improper. She only knew she wanted to be held and comforted and told that everything would be okay, like she had when her Nan had died. She looked up at the Doctor's face and he looked deeply into her eyes. There was something that Rose couldn't identify, hidden in the dark pools. She tried to wordlessly ask him what was wrong, but he looked away and kept his eyes fixed forward on the coffin that led the way through the streets.

At the edge of the grave yard, the Doctor hung back, keeping Rose beside him as all the people filled into the tiny field that was marked with simple wooden or stone markers. Rose looked over the grave yard. It was beautiful in a morbid, gothic way. The stones that marked the graves were simple smoothed rocks with inscriptions about the deceased; their names, their day of births and deaths. Some said a few extra words like 'loving mother' or 'dedicated father' or 'beloved child'. A few had rudimentary runes or symbols carved on them. One, which marked the death of an elderly woman, held an ouroboros engraving. The wooden crosses reserved for people who couldn't afford stone grave markers were in various states of decay. The older ones were almost entirely rotted and the names were indiscernible, fading away just like the memories of the people who were buried beneath them. The field itself was dotted with wildflowers in shades of purple and yellow, though the bloody sunlight cast these into unsettling shades of red. A few of the graves had bundles of flowers on them from family members mourning the recent loss of a loved one. The Doctor kept his hand of Rose as the rest of the people made their way to Treasa's final resting place.

"What is it?" Rose whispered, eager to pay her last respects to Treasa before they lowered her into the ground.

"I'm going to go into the forest, see if I can communicate with the Doradalosi about what is happening out there. See if they can tell me about the thing that killed her," he motioned with his eyes to the funeral proceedings.

"You can't even wait to say goodbye?" Rose asked angrily.

The Doctor looked uncomfortable, but brushed off Rose's comment. "I think that this is more important."

Rose struggled with the volume of her voice before she answered the Doctor, unwilling to disturb the funeral that was taking place at the other side of the field. The result was a cool, controlled tone that threatened to break into a thunderous roar at any given moment, like lava under a rocky surface, "if you think that whatever you are doin' cannot wait the half hour it would take to say goodbye to his poor girl," her voice threatened to break, "then everything I thought about you has been wrong, and you are not the man I thought you were." She turned on her heel and stalked off towards the group of people who were gathered around the open grave, leaving the Doctor on the edge of the graveyard.

When the final goodbyes were underway and Aodhán was saying a few more verses, Rose looked towards where she had last left the bewildered Doctor. He had left.

* * *

_I know this was depressing but it was necessary Also now were are entering into the climax of the plot and we are really going to figure out what is going on. Any ideas? Conspiracy theories? Space bug enthusiasts? If so, tell me in your review. _

_Next chapter to come soon, hopefully in a few days :)_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Yay for quick updates. I am home for reading week, so hopefully I will update faster (and maybe even have the story done before the end of the week! like 4 more chapters left!). Don't mind the mistakes yadda yadda yadda, tell me if I make them blah blah no beta blah. As always, read and review :)_

* * *

**Chapter Eight: **

The sun had just set as the funeral ended, and the stars were beginning to peak out of the vast black sky. It cast a kinder light on the graveyard than the bloody sun, brining the world into the serene embrace of nighttime. Rose sighed and looked again to where the Doctor had disappeared only half an hour before. She was furious at him for abandoning Treasa and her family in their time of grief, and even angrier that he abandoned her when she needed a hand to hold. The townsfolk slowly made their way back to their houses, a few lingered to say their last goodbyes. Sean stayed the longest, murmuring prayers and regrets over the stone that marked where Treasa lay.

Rose stalked back to the house, moodily. Both Cathal and Áine Mac Gearailt noticed her attitude and, thankfully, remained quiet after the funeral. Cathal opened the door for the two women, and let them into the empty house. He quickly busied himself making a fire to warm up the small space. The spring brought warm days but the evenings were chilly, and Rose shivered in her thin linen dress with a simple wool shawl that Áine had lent her. Evidentially, it was not warm enough. Rose stared at the goose pimples that appeared slowly on the back of her hand and wrist.

"I'll be makin' some tea for ye, dear?" Áine asked while fetching clay mugs out of the rustic cupboards. She filled a small pot with water and placed it over the newly burning fire.

"Yes, I'd like that," Rose sat down at the table across from Mr. Mac Gearailt and picked absentmindedly at a string that hung astray on her shawl.

"I'll 'ave been a 'ard day for everyone," Mr. Mac Gearalit said absentmindedly, watching his wife pick out some dried herbs from various clay jars that were lined along the windowsill. Rose looked up and met his eye before averting hers quickly. She nodded before resuming her picking at the wool garment.

"Aye," Áine agreed, nodding her head. "Terrible thing that is, losing a child. Poor girl. Can' imagine how her mother is feelin'. An' in such an awful way. Violent an' bloody. I'll tell ye that it was no wolves that done that. Mrs. Cionaoith was tellin' me that Mr. de Paor heard poor Sean sobbin' earlier 'bout what 'appened. Said he said that the 'eart was gone! Said her eye had turned red an' her hair turned black. She was goin' on 'bout witchcraft. I don't know how much I believe tha' but I'll tell ye it ain't no wolf that be eatin' only the 'eart an' leavin' the rest." Áine continued prattling on about this and that from the village gossip.

Rose sunk into the conversation, nodding where it seemed appropriate. It was comforting, in a way, to know that gossip had never changed. Áine reminded her of Jackie. Sometimes her mother got hold of news or scandals that occurred in their complex and she would be on the phone for hours, getting to the bottom of it with all her friends. Rose would be fascinated by how quickly it all came together when her mother had her mind set on rooting out the gossip.

"An' I hope ye don' mind dear, I am makin' you a barley tea, it'll warm ye up," Áine said fondly, stirring a concoction over the fire. "An' I feel like a cuppa always makes ye feel better, gives ye somethin' to do with yer hands." The older lady eyed Rose picking at the loose thread.

"You remind me of my mum," Rose said, longingly. "She would make tea for me whenever I was sad, or angry or lonely."

"An' where is yer mother now? Back in London, missing her daughter?"

Rose could see the regret in Áine's eyes when she asked the question. There were few other reasons for a single young woman to be in the company of man. Rose didn't reveal how close Áine had struck home, and guilt washed over her. "She's gone," Rose whispered, secretly wishing she had the phone that she left in the TARDIS. "Far away. An' my Da' died when I was young."

"We've all seen a fair share o' death 'round here, but it doesn't make it any less sad," Áine said kindly, setting down the cup of tea in front of Rose and another in front of herself and her husband. She took a seat beside Rose and sipped carefully. "Aye, Cathal an' I lost our first child to the bloody flux, an' the next in the womb an' after that I lost the 'eart to try again." She looked forlornly at her husband who returned the miserable gaze.

"I'm sorry," Rose muttered. She felt guilty for missing her mum, who was, to her at least, still alive, when everyone around her had seemed to have lost so much. She shifted uncomfortably.

"We see death lots here," Mr. Mac Gearailt considered, his low voice was thick with emotion. "But tha' don' make it any less meaningful when people pass. It is always someone's 'usband, or wife or child."The elderly couple exchanged another loaded glance.

"An' all folk 'ave their ways o' dealin' with it. When our first passed, I stayed in my room for a whole moon cycle, not talkin'. Cathal went to the forest for two weeks an' killed a few hedgehog."

"Aye, an' when Fearghus ó Ceallacháin lost 'is mum, he didn't react at all, just took it in stride. His sister cried for a week straight."

Rose nodded and sipped her tea, her thoughts ruminating on the moral of the lesson they were trying to teach her. She supposed that death was just a natural part of life in these times. Well more natural than where she came from. It was an everyday occurrence, nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone had dealt with death at a young age. In Rose's time, most kids didn't attend a funeral until they were teenagers or older. Death was always tragic and preventable. Most were accidents, like her father's. Very few were expected and even less were looked at practically. Here they were just part of everyday life, whether expected, accidental or tragic.

"What about people that can't say goodbye at all?" Rose asked quietly. She looked at the Mac Garealit's through her eyelashes.

"Well there are them too," Áine said, picking up Rose's hinting tone. "Some folk just don't like to accept that death 'appens. Or they're afraid themselves. Some people can't bear that they survive, when their loved ones are gone."

"Some don't want the story to end," Rose said, her tone more bitter than the tea that she was nursing between her hands. "They can't accept that saying goodbye is required to be human. Everyone says goodbye eventually." She all but spat the word 'human'.

Áine seemed taken aback, but Cathal nodded wisely. They didn't speak anymore, just took turns bringing their cup to their lips and tasting the bittered tea. All were deep in thought. Rose could see that Áine was still thinking about her lost children as sadness crept into her eyes. Cathal's expression was unreadable, but Rose suspected that he too was thinking about the babies he had lost.

Rose was angry at the Doctor, but she realized maybe she wasn't angry that he had left Treasa's funeral, though it did grate her nerves. She was afraid that she would be left behind as well, without even a goodbye to comfort her. She had seen it with Sarah Jane, who had lived the rest of her life waiting for the Doctor's return. She had seen it with Madam de Pompadour who waited for her silly man to emerge once again from the fireplace. During that same time, Rose herself felt a taste of what it was like to be left behind. The Doctor had all but abandoned her on a 51st century spaceship, floating in space, at the mercy of terrifying clockwork robots. All this after he had promised, not hours before, to never leave her. She sighed inwardly. Rose never wanted to feel that fear, that panic, that betrayal, again. She forgave him, barely and they moved on. But she still wondered when it would be her time to say goodbye for good.

Rose was still swishing the remains of her tea when Cathal stood up.

"I'll be goin' to bed now," He said, placing his cup on the table. "It's back to a full day o' work tomorrow. G'night."

He marched up the stairs, leaving his wife and Rose sitting at the table, awkwardly staring at the wood grain. Rose could hear him getting ready for bed in the loft upstairs, his footsteps falling heavily on the wooden boards just above her head.

"He'll come back ye know," Áine said conversationally. Rose looked up, she hated that she could feel the hope in her eyes. "They always do."

Rose made a noncommittal noise and resumed playing with the leftovers in the bottom of the mug.

"Men can be a bit thick at times, but I'm sure he means nothin' by it." She sighed and stood up, collecting the mugs from the table and putting them over in the kitchen area. "Just, wait for him to explain himself, then ye can decide."

Rose watched her as she walked up the stairs, joining her husband in their marital bed.

She realized that she was almost jealous of the two. They seemed to respect each other. Cathal took care of Áine and she took care of him. They had lived a long life with nobody but each other. Rose wanted that. As a girl she had played dolls, pretend marrying them to each other. She had always wanted a wedding and a husband and children, even. The Doctor just got there first. The lure of adventure was just too much and she put the rest of her dreams on hold. Maybe it was catching up to her. Maybe being left behind again was just cold hard reality, sneaking up on her.

Rose sighed again. She felt like she had been doing that a lot lately. All she wanted was a big comfy couch to curl up on in front of the lovely fire, and maybe one of the romance novels that she used to nick from Jackie. At least they all had happy endings. The big-breasted bimbos always got their man.

But they never saved the world.

They never fought off alien invasions, or faced down an entire army of Daleks or Cybermen.

Their lives didn't mean much. They were just used for sex and a bit of romance.

Rose's life meant something. The Doctor made sure of it. He had changed her from a simple shop girl to the Bad Wolf. Enlightened her with his barmy blue box by taking her throughout all of space and time. Without the Doctor, she could have ended up marrying Mickey. She didn't want that. She didn't want to just be a shop girl or live on the Powell Estates for the rest of her life.

She may...love...the Doctor. And she did love him. She had figured it out long ago, somewhere between visiting New New York and having a crazed woman on television stealing her face. She loved him with all her heart, but he couldn't settle down and live a normal _human _life. She didn't even know if he was capable of human love. He couldn't get married and keep a home. She imagined him working at a 9-5 job, as an accountant or banker, and snorted to herself. The Doctor didn't _do_ domestic. Time and space needed him. And he needed her, for as long as time would allow it. He wasn't as strong on the inside as he let on. She knew that, she always knew that.

Rose stood up, suddenly resolute. She needed to find him, to tell him that she understood.

He would be out in the forest, talking to those space bug things. Rose needed to find him.

She went to the back and went into the Doctor's room, instead of her own. It was an identical copy of her room. She got down on her hands and knees and groped under the bed. Her fingers touched soft material and she pulled out her jeans and sweater that looked as though they had been laundered by Áine. They were clean, at the very least. She resumed her search again and pulled out her trainers.

Rose quickly changed into her real clothing, relishing in the feel of the warm wool of her sweater. She suddenly appreciated the freedom that her jeans provided, and the stability from her trainers, instead of the simple slippers. She quickly folded the dress and placed it on the bed, and scrambled out the window. She landed with a thud on the ground outside the house, and stumbled over a few rocks that had been placed there. She cussed loudly, then cussed again more quietly, hoping she didn't wake up the Mac Gearalits that were sleeping just above her head.

Once she was sure there was no stirring in the house, she quickly ran to the edge of the forest. The wolfhounds looked at her suspiciously as she ran through the sheep field, but decided not to do anything about the strange girl. She jumped the low stone wall in a smooth motion and approached the edge of the woods cautiously. Sure the Doctor was out there, but so was the thing that had killed Treasa. And the space bugs. The Doctor said they weren't dangerous, but they still freaked her out.

Rose took a deep breath and stepped into the woods. She wasn't entirely sure where the Doctor had gone, but maybe if she found one of the freaky floating lights, they could tell her. The Doctor said he was going to communicate with them, so she could too.

She carefully picked her path through the forest, remembering how difficult it was to not fall from her previous night time jaunt in the woods. The air around her became closer and the light from the moon and stars couldn't filter through the thick canopy. She could no longer see the light from the village clearing behind her.

It was another half hour before she realized that she was completely and hopelessly lost. Maybe this hadn't been the brightest idea, she thought and she almost ran into a knee-high shrub. At least she didn't have on a dress that was getting caught on things. She reached her hands out, trying to avoid falling into the trees that seemed to have grown thicker and closer together since her last visit.

A panic rose in her throat after the second hour passed. She pressed her back against a tree and slid down, taking a well-deserved rest on the forest floor. She was dirty and exhausting and beginning to wonder if she would ever get out of the maze of trees, let alone find the Doctor.

It was in this precise moment of despair that something caught Rose's eye.

A blue light.

Her heart pounded in her chest, straining painfully against her rib cage. It looked like the Doctor's sonic! She wanted to run up and hug him, tell him she was sorry and tell him how thankful she was that he had found her.

But it floated closer, and Rose realized that it wasn't the Doctor at all. It was one of the space bugs. The lazily looping light edged closer to Rose. She reached out a hand to touch it, and retracted it quickly when it jumped away. Rose stood up, and walked towards it. It jumped away again. She decided that, with no other prospects or hope, it would be better to follow it than sit there and revel in her misery.

She began to walk deeper in to the forest, following the blue light.

* * *

_Yay for character development. I aired a lot of Rose's feelings in this chapter because it was a) necessary and b) we don't get to see a lot of it on the show, so this is what I assume is happening in her head. I like speculating. And I love Rose/Doctor shipping so there is some of that here. Don't mind the squeals written in the subtext. Hope you enjoyed and if you did, REVIEW and tell me! If you didn't REVIEW and tell me! ~ Hayley :)_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N_: _So this is a shor__ter chapter than normal, but it's okay! It was planned. This is the setting up to the next two big chapters were all the fun stuff goes down. Sorry it took so long, I have six (!) essays due this month and it's killing me slowly. Hope you enjoy, this was very fun to write and I have plenty of sketches if anyone is /really/ interested. As always, read, enjoy and review :) Also the next chapter is already written because I am amazing. It will be up in a few days after some serious editing._

* * *

**Chapter 9 **

Rose hesitantly followed the light, making sure to stay what she deemed to be a safe distance away from it. She really had no other option, it was either that or remain lost in the woods. The doradalos floated lazily along, pausing and bobbing when Rose stumbled or fell.

Through the dark forest it led her, throwing light across the ground and trees, casting dark shadows and making the forest stand out in sharp relief. Far off, a wolf howled. Rose edged closer to the light, the cool blue tone was even more comforting than the unknown dark.

It led her on and on, over small streams and through tiny meadows. Once it led her over a sheer rock cliff that she had to scramble up with her hands and feet, searching for holds in the flat stone. Just when she thought she couldn't go any further, the atmosphere changed. The cool, fresh air of the spring night disappeared, replaced with a still, stagnant air that hung heavy with dampness. A heavy smell lingered, clogging Rose's nose with a strong and familiar scent. Decay. Sweat. Lust. She blushed just smelling it. It smelled like her bedroom after her first time with Jimmy Stone. Sex hung heavily in the air, mixed with shame and disgust. It felt...unclean.

As suddenly as it came, the light disappeared and Rose was left standing alone in the dark with nothing but a dull green light blinked which from ahead. Rose decided to approach cautiously, wondering if the Doctor was ahead of her. She was careful to avoid the twigs and bushes on the ground, as she slunk around trees, approaching the clearing ahead. The smell grew stronger.

Rose carefully looked around the closest tree to the clearing where the green light was flashing. She had to put a hand over her mouth to stop any sound, but especially the scream which formed in her throat, from escaping.

The first thing her eyes landed on was a spaceship. It looked crude, rudimentary. Nothing as elegant as some she had seen, this one looked very much like a flying junkyard. The wings were bent at odd angles and there was scrap metal laying around, including a few very important looking contraptions. The lights were throwing off the eerie greenish glow, making the entire clearing look like a scene straight out of a seventies horror film. The spaceship was all but buried into the ground of the clearing, with several downed trees in its wake. Rose assumed that it had crashed, judging by the surroundings.

However, if the spaceship gave Rose a creeping feeling, then the rest of the scene was horrifying.

There were three large creatures in the centre of the clearing, all preying over one very incapacitated Doctor.

They were huge humanoid aliens, all identical to the other. All three had elongated bodies, feet, arms, legs and hands. They walked hunched over, on their toes so their legs were permanently bent into a crouching position. Their long hands had equally long skinny fingers with black claws situated at the end. They were astonishingly skinny. Their bones were protruding out of their feet and hands, their ribs stuck out grotesquely and each vertebrae of their hunched over spine was clearly visible. The skin was sickly grey, stretched taught over the bones, making their bodies seem fragile. A long neck, as long as Rose's arm, connected their monstrous bodies to their heads.

But their faces. It was their faces that made Rose want to simultaneously scream and be sick at the same time. Their dead eyes were set in deep, black sunken pits on their face, which was also longer than it should have been. Their mouth seemed to be perpetually open, a black hole in their face, a dark tongue and rotten teeth peeked out. Cheeks as equally sunk as the eyes followed the bone structure of their faces, making them look like little more than skulls with human features. Topping it all off was long dark hair which fell into their faces, obscuring some of the more horrific parts.

Rose ducked behind the tree, taking a deep breath to compose herself before checking on the state of the Doctor. If she screamed, she would give everything away.

She peered back out, desperately searching for the man in the pinstripe suit. She found him sitting on the ground, with the three...women for lack of a better word...circling around him. They seemed to be confused, trying to puzzle out a mystery of some sort. Rose strained to here the conversation.

"...not human?"

"No, can't you smell it?"

"Two hearts, sister. More blood pumping through these veins."

"He is resistant to our powers too."

Rose almost covered her ears at the sound of their voices. It was high but grating, like their sharp claws were running down a chalk board. A high keening alerted Rose that one of them was laughing.

"Maybe he will be stronger than the others," the creature gestured to a pile that Rose had not noticed before. It was the decomposing remains of the people, men, who had gone missing. Some were in further states of decay, one on top looked like he had died only recently. There was strong evidence that they had been thrown unceremoniously into the pile when the aliens were through with them. Rose felt bile rise in her throat and she prevented herself from retching into a bush for the umpteenth time.

Rose silently prayed that the Doctor could talk his way out of the situation, like he always did. She wondered why he was sitting there, not doing anything. He was just pleasantly looking at the three creatures, almost humoring them. But that wasn't quite right. He was looking at them adoringly almost. It looked familiar.

"How best to go about this?"

"Do you think his physiology is the same as the humans?"

"He could have completely different senses," they analyzed.

Mickey, Rose realized. He was giving the things the same expression Mickey used to give her. Like a love with a hint of obsession and a bit pathetic Like he'd do whatever she told him, like he'd do anything to please her.

"He is cute, sister. Maybe we can keep him longer?"

"He is food. Nothing more."

They must have brainwashed him somehow. Mesmerized him.

"We shall eat soon then, as soon as we figure out what he is."

"We could figure it out simply"

"Yes, just take off the garments..."

Rose felt sick again. They were going to eat him. Attack him. Turn him into the slab of meat that was all that was left of Treasa when she was found. But she slowly looked over at the pile of bodies not too far away from her. They didn't look eaten. They were in pristine condition, besides the decay and, well, death. What did these things eat, she wondered to herself, if not the bodies. And why was Treasa's heart taken.

"Why don't we ask the alien itself?"

"Yes sister, look into his eyes and ask him."

One of the things crouched lower and gazed directly into the Doctor's face. "What are you," it hissed contemptibly.

The Doctor stared back mildly, "Anything you want me to be baby."

Rose almost groaned. He would pick a time like this to use his twisted sense of humor.

"What species do you come from?" It hissed again, more angrily

"Well technically I am the only one left, killed the rest of them I did. I can tell you how I did it, if it would impress you." The Doctor made a weird twitching movement, and Rose realized he was trying to show off his bicep, but was prevented by the some invisible force. Apparently being under control of these creatures made him become a first-class git. He was clearly possessed.

"We just need to know what you are," the thing was almost hysterical with anger.

At least the Doctor wasn't making it easy for them. Rose let out an accidental snort. She covered her mouth quickly, hoping they didn't hear.

Unfortunately for her, they did.

One of the creatures whipped its head around, pivoting it's neck and leaving the rest of its body unnervingly still. It drew in a deep breath into its flattened nose, before narrowing its dead eyes.

"Sister, something is out there."

Another one sniffed the air.

"It smells like a woman. Young."

Rose gasped and held her breath, trying to sink lower into the forest floor, wishing she could disappear completely.

"Maybe she will be beautiful," one of them laughed, a high keening escaping its mouth.

The closest one stalked towards the tree behind which Rose was hiding, its head bobbing two and fro on its long neck. Rose could hear the footsteps fall heavily as it approached. She was panicking. There was no one there to help her. No one to fix the problem .The Doctor was enamoured and couldn't help. There was no TARDIS, no sonic screwdriver, nothing to save her.

She heard its claws scrape the tree trunk and the alien grasped the wood, ready to look and see where Rose huddled, terrified, behind it.

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_Dun. Dun. DUNNNNNNNNN. So that was fun. Yes the Doctor is ridiculous but don't lie and say you can't see David Tennent saying those things. Because I totally can. Any ideas on what's going to happen next? Any theories? Any comments? Want to tell me you hate me and everything I've ever written and I deserve a life without a computer? Tell me in a __REVIEW!__ Chocolates for every comment :) ~ Hayley_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Yay for plot development! So here we are going into the thick of things. Sorry about the slow updates, I have several essays due, a debate and two research papers due in the next month so I have been spending the majority of my time in the library and that's a party. I am actually supposed to be writing a paper on Nazi Eugenic Laws as we speak but who wants to do that? As always I have no beta so excuse the errors or help me find them and perfect them. Anyways, I wanted to make this scene creepy but still on line with Doctor Who-ish themes. Hope you all enjoy, and chocolate if you review :)_

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**Chapter 10**

The creature curled its neck around the tree, and stared Rose straight in the face. Rose looked deeply into the gaunt, sunken face, trying not to scream while the dead eyes examined her. The creature cracked a smile, revealing sharp, pointed and rotting teeth. The sweet smell of decay surrounded Rose, filling her nostrils with purification.

"Sisters," it keened. "She will do for a sacrifice. We can feast on her heart before we feast on the male."

The creature reached down, and clasped its clammy hand around Rose's shoulder. Rose could feel the long black nails pushing gently against her jumper, ready to tear through the wool and flesh with the slightest provocation. She gulped, trying to stay strong. There would be no use in crying or screaming or attempting to run. There was no one around for miles and the Doctor certainly wasn't in any position to help. She had to stay strong. For the Doctor.

The thing pushed her forwards, threatening to break Rose's shoulder if she didn't comply. Rose could feel its hot breath against the back of her neck as its head lolled on its long neck and it stalked on its gangly legs.

"She is pretty," said the tallest one. Rose assumed it was the leader. It had an air of authority over the others. "She will do well to make us beautiful."

"And what do you mean by that," Rose asked. Her voice squeaked. She was ashamed at how weak and scared she sounded. She had killed off the entire Dalek race and she couldn't even face three old...hag women.

There was another keening sound that Rose recognized as laughter.

"The little woman thinks that she can defy us," one of them screeched in delight. Their heads moved eerily as they talked, bobbing in the air as if separate from their hunched bodies.

"I," Rose began, faltering. "I am the Bad Wolf, destroyer of the Daleks and enforcer of the...Shadow Proclamation." She remembered how badly she had failed at this type of thing the last time she was on her own. When her new Doctor had been unconscious and the Sycoraxs had been threatening to invade Earth. They had all laughed at her, and the Doctor was the one who had saved them. Not her. She hoped she sounded more convincing than she had then. "And by order of section nine and three quarters, you are hereby banished from Earth."

The creatures hissed. The sound was low and threatening, but pierced Rose to her core. She glanced over at the Doctor who was still sitting quiet contently, staring at the leader like she was the most interesting woman in the world. Rose felt a slight pang of jealousy. He looked so human, so unguarded.

"What do you know of the Shadow Proclamation?" The alien hissed menacingly.

"She cannot be from the village, she must not be human."

"She smells human to me, sister," said the one on the far left, closest to the Doctor. "She reeks of emotion and fear."

The creatures eyed her more cautiously, but the one behind her had still not removed its claws from her body.

"I am an enforcer of peace in the Universe, protector of the human race from aliens like you who wish to exploit them," Rose said, her voice growing stronger. She realized they were more wary, knowing she was not a simple towns person from medieval Ireland. "And I order you to release whatever hold you have over my...companion."

This apparently warranted laughter from the trio of aliens. It was chilling and goose pimples raced up Rose's spine.

"We have no hold over him," one of them hissed gleefully. "He is here on his own accord."

"What did you do to him!" Rose demanded.

"He is simply mesmerized by our beauty," they cackled. "All men are drawn to us, all men desire us. They gaze into our eyes and can see no other option but to follow us and do our bidding. Whatever our bidding may be. Our pheromones are so overwhelming to their senses that the smell alone drives them mad."

Rose took a deep breath, trying to detect this smell they spoke of, receiving only the sweet smell of death for her efforts. She choked back a gag.

"And why are you here on Earth. Why can't you...mesmerize your own kind?"

"They were taken from us," the leader wailed. She threw her head in the air and howled, filling the silence with sorrow and anger. Rose was surprised how palpable the creature's emotions were. She could feel them radiating from their skins. It was an odd feeling.

"Our planet, Ilealel, was beautiful until the war. We were peaceful. We have villages and communities and children. We were happy. But another race invaded and the men went off to fight, to protect their women as was tradition. It was a bloody war, filled with sorrow and death. And our mates never came back. We were left starving in our villages with no hope to survive, our children were dying."

"We are some of the few that left," came a hissing from over Rose's shoulder. The one behind her had picked up where the other left off. "We crashed here when the ship ran out of fuel, and we have been hunting for food, trying to survive since."

Rose glanced over at the decaying bodies of the unscathed victims. "But you don't eat them," Rose began, "what do you need them for?"

"Foolish humans, un-evolved stupid beings who think that everything in the universe acts as they do. Arrogant." The leader mocked, her claws clicking together with indignation. "We do not feed on flesh as you do. We do not require corporal food to satisfy our hunger."

"But you took Treasa's heart," Rose said, trying to put together the mystery.

"We took the heart and consumed it to take her beauty. When we eat the hearts of those more desired than ourselves, we gain their admiration, their powers. We consumed her heart and now we are stronger than ever, as her attraction flows through our veins."

"But you don't feed on males."

This also prompted laughter from the creatures. Rose scowled. She didn't like to be laughed at.

"We don't need their flesh to satisfy hunger," one of them repeated. "We feed off of lust, sexual energy. We feed until they die, of hunger or thirst or exhaustion. They do not sleep when they come to us, they are too enamoured with our beauty. They think of nothing but us, until they die. Humans are so pathetic, letting their emotions take hold so strongly. They are too simple to think of anything but their lust, letting it consume them. We do not kill. They kill themselves."

Rose was horrified. Did that mean that they...

She shook her head. The Doctor remained untouched, as far as she could tell. And the rest of the identifiable dead men all still had their clothes on.

The things were still speaking. "Our men were strong, able to control their emotions, not let lust invade on the rest of their lives, like ourselves."

"Well so what if humans are emotional?" Rose began to grow angry. "Our emotions are what make us human. We can feel, empathize, love, and let it consume us because it makes us happy. We may be simple in your eyes, but our lives are about satisfying our emotions even our lust. No one wants to be unhappy, or sad, or angry or unsatisfied," she trailed off, thinking. "We allow our hearts to lead our decisions and we will follow whatever makes us...feel loved. You know nothing of human strength."

Rose Tyler was livid. She was absolutely and undeniably angry. She had never felt so angry in her life then she did at that moment. Rose didn't have to justify what it meant to be human to the three ugly gangling giants that stood before her. They were like the others that she had encountered, the Cybermen, the Daleks, the Krillitane or whatever else she had faced in the past year or so. They all underestimated humans, placing them in the 'weak' or 'inconsequential' categories of their alien catalogues. A race to be used and manipulated. Humans were so much stronger than they believed. They survived. Rose had seen it herself, on New Earth. Sure they were hybrid species, but they survived nonetheless. Longer than any other alien species that she knew. Emotions are what made them survive, their will to live, their determination, their love for one another, children and families. And she would be damned if she let these creatures exploit human's wonderful emotions.

Especially hers. Rose never fully realised it. Well maybe she did, maybe she always knew and just repressed her feelings because that's what she was supposed to do. But she knew now how strongly she felt about the Doctor. She didn't follow him around just for him. She followed him because she needed to, because she wanted to. With every fiber of her being. He filled the gap in her life's meaning and she filled the gap in his. The Doctor was the most amazing man she had ever met. And he was there, just feet away from her, kneeling helplessly on the forest floor. Blissfully unaware of what was going on around him.

"You will give him back, and you will leave this planet alone," Rose said, her voice loud and unwavering.

There was a tense silence in the air, as the echo of her voice faded from the trees. The creatures seemed unsure. They fed off emotion, and Rose had just let out a significant amount of anger and love and hatred.

Suddenly, they began laughing again.

"Can you feel that, sisters?" The leader cried out through her high pitched squeals. "This one has feeling for the male that we have captured."

"Yes sister, they are strong indeed. Too bad the female will be dead soon and he will sustain us with no one to intervene."

"They can join each other in death," the one behind Rose mocked, hissing through her teeth. "How romantic."

"NO!" Rose roared, pulling away from the creature. She felt the nails tighten and rip into her jumper, piercing her skin as she tore away from its grasp. It hurt, but she ignored the pain. "You will leave this planet. It is peaceful and has no quarrel with your kind and have declared no war. It is illegal, according to the Shadow Proclamation for you to be here, so you will leave."

"And who will make us," the creature asked, its head bobbing contemptuously. Rose wanted nothing more than it punch its gaunt face, mocking her with its eyebrows raised and a smirk playing around its black lips.

Rose could not come up with a good answer to that question. She was already bleeding from the cuts on her shoulder, she could feel the blood soaking her sweater. They were deep cuts. She had no means of communication with anyone else, let alone someone who could help her, and she couldn't fight off the creatures on her own.

"That's what I thought," the leader purred. "Put her next to the male, so he can watch as we slowly cut away her chest and dig her heart out. He will do nothing, of course, but her helplessness and betrayal will feel so sweet.

Rose was pushed and prodded towards the centre of clearing, in the middle of the circle of the creatures. She was forced onto her knees beside the delusional Doctor who was studying the leader's black stringy hair rather intently.

"Are you going to do anythin'," she pleaded desperately.

He appeared not to hear her, continuing to stare at the aliens with a fanciful expression in his eyes. Rose almost threw up. He looked like a love sick puppy. She wanted to hit him, yell, and scream until he snapped out of his stupor. She wanted to beg until he woke up.

"Help me," she whispered into his ear, leaning close to his body, as she had once done when she was in danger from a psychotic Christmas tree. However, there was no effect, as there had been the last time, and still the Doctor ignored her.

"Yes," the creatures spoke, "say your last goodbyes. You will soon be part of us, helping us draw men into our clutches."

One of the aliens screeched delightfully, apparently the irony was not lost upon her.

"Doctor," Rose whispered urgently. "I know I won't have another chance to say this. This will be my last chance to say anythin', I suppose. But I needed you to know...that...I care for you. I wanted to be with you, until I died. I guess I got what I wanted, but you have to know it's not your fault. I know somewhere, deep down, you know what I am sayin' even if you are hypnotised. Just don't blame yourself. You couldn't have done anything. I chose to follow you. I chose to die with you. Because...I," Rose gulped, unsure if she could continue.

Luckily, she didn't have to.

"You have talked enough," the leader declared. "Now, it is time for those powerful emotions to be put to rest."

Rose could tell they were taking the mickey out of her, but she could not work herself up to be annoyed. She leaned into the Doctor, and groped for his hand. She knew he didn't know she was beside him, but it comforted her knowing that he was with her.

He turned his blank eyes towards Rose, staring at her, but not really seeing her.

And then Rose did something incredibly impulsive. She didn't think, she didn't analyze, she just did what her fast beating heart told her.

She closed her eyes, leaned in and kissed the Doctor.

It was chaste, just a fleeting goodbye kiss where their lips barely touched. But it was enough to prompt something that Rose did not expect.

The Doctor fell over onto the forest floor with a dull thud, apparently unconscious.

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_Yay for Doctor-Rose fluff! Also this is a kiss a la Cassandra in the Episode "New Earth", it doesn't especially count because the Doctor is out of commission and Rose is affected by all the hormones floating around in the air so they both aren't thinking straight. At the same time, I wanted to make Rose a stronger figure, and so she has to figure out this situation on her own. I always feel that the Doctor saves the day, so for once, I want Rose to save the day (yes, I know there are several instances of companions directly or indirectly fixing the problems, but it's never outright and the Doctor always swings in at the last moment). But I hope you enjoyed anyways and as always, I appreciate any reviews you want to give me! ~ Hayley_


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